In the end, Hope is all you have Gunslinger
by Manga-lunatic
Summary: Yuffientine, Clotif. Takes place seven years after Meteor. A new threat to the planet emerges from the shadows. Will Avalanche have the strength to stop it? Will Vincent find the strength he will need to stop it? Please read and review!
1. Through the tall grass

In the end, Hope is all you have – Gunslinger

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_Disclaimer- I do not own any part of Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters portrayed within. They are the sole property of Square Enix –I like my disclaimer-_

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_Through the Tall grass_

The midnight moon shone brightly in the cloudless night sky, its light touching down on the grasslands of Wutai.  The night wind shifted lazily through the tall grass towards the northeast, making the plains look like a green sea. Flowing like water, the tall grass swayed in waves.  This way and that way they went, allowing the wind to toss them any way the wind pleased.  All was quiet on this night.  The crickets and grasshoppers were not singing their usual song, the night birds sat in their trees utterly silent.  It seemed as if they were all waiting for the stranger to walk past. 

The dark man walked through the tall grass with a slow, easy grace.  He moved like someone who was one with the night.  The shadows were a close ally to this man, and if he wanted to, he could blend into the shadows, wrapping the darkness around him.  The man was in no hurry to get to the gates of Wutai.  The breeze ruffled his hair, tugging at his bandana.  His blood-red cloak caught the wind and sailed away from his body, revealing his metallic, clawed, left hand.  The moonlight reflected off the metal with every sway of his claw, sending patches of light into the darkness beyond.  The man's cloak covered the lower part of his face, and only his eyes felt the chill of the breeze.  But those eyes sent many more chills down the backs of men.  Those eyes…..glowed.

They shone a blood-red.  It was as if Hell itself was burning within him, igniting his pupils.  The intensity of his gaze froze even the hardest of men. No normal human could have eyes like his. Only a demon.  And Vincent Valentine had demons.  They floated through the depths of his mind, sending their thoughts and emotions into his own.  They were a part of him and they would always be until his dying day.  Vincent had struggled so many years to tame his beasts.  And he was successful, to an extent. Galian Beast was the first to be contented; though sometimes the purple beast still beat against his head now and then, making sure Vincent didn't forget it was still there.  Death Gigas only expressed his emotions to Vincent.  Sending him a storm of conflicting emotions that would leave him sprawled on the floor, catching his breath.  Death Gigas was a tortured creature and was now locked away in the farthest corners of his mind, calming the storms but not stopping them.  Hellmasker would appear suddenly and violently, protesting to be released into the world again so it could continue its trail of death.  Now, Vincent could cull the maniac's fury and send the monster into the deep abyss behind walls and walls of mental barriers. And Hellmasker would pound against those walls without success.  Hellmasker was still there, ever fighting, ever looking for a crack it could escape into. 

There was only one demon that Vincent could not tame. Chaos.  Chaos loved to torment him. It reveled in it.  Chaos would bring up memories long forgotten, and bring them up at the least expected times.  Many sleepless nights Vincent would have to endure because of that monstrosity.  Chaos was the ultimate form of Vincent's demons. Within Chaos were the hate, strife and animosity Vincent had against himself.  Chaos _was Vincent, and that thought irked him the most. _

Vincent moved his hand behind him and touched the handle of his Death Penalty, which was holstered near the small of his back.  His most powerful weapon, Vincent always kept it by his side. Vincent then slowly moved his hand to touch the mastered materia he had in his weapon.  One was a Summon Materia, Odin.  Vincent had relied upon Odin many times over through his journeys and even though Odin came and went like the wind, Vincent respected and admired the power of his lance.  Five of them were Spell Materia. Restore, Lightning, Comet, Contain, and Time.  One was a Command Materia called Sense.  The last Materia was a Support Materia named All, and it was attached to Lightning. 

Vincent moved his claw to his side and touched his other weapon, Outsider.  Vincent brought this along so he could master some of his other materia he owned. Outsider had eight slots for materia, four linked and four unlinked.  Inside the slots were Ice, Fire, Barrier, Steal, Seal, Restore, Poison, and Heal. Vincent mainly used Outsider in the random battles he encountered on his journey to Wutai, bringing the materia housed within ever closer to being mastered.  Vincent also wore a Gold Armlet he stole from a Dragon in the Nibel Mountains.   And fitted into it were Lightning, All, Comet, and Restore. They were the materia born from the mastered materia in Death Penalty.  

Vincent removed his hands from his weapons and turned his gaze to the sky.  Vincent many a time would spend countless hours in the dark of night looking upon the specks of light that dotted the skies.  They gave him a sense of calm, a way out from the turmoil in his mind.  The stars helped him organize his thoughts and memories. As his gaze fixed upon a star, his mind would fix upon a memory or thought. It allowed him to dwell on that only, giving him peace of mind.  

Searching around the skies, Vincent came upon an unusually bright star.  His thoughts drifted to his friends.  Had it really been seven years?  Had it really been seven years since the fall of Sephiroth?  He hadn't seen any of his friends since then.  Cloud and Tifa lived in Kalm and were married a year after Meteor.  If word from them was true they had two children, though their names escaped him. They lived next to Barret and his daughter Marlene.  Reeve, or Cait Sith, was now the President of Shinra and was still in the process of rebuilding Midgar.  Cid finally married Shera and was still living in Rocket Town, tinkering away at his machines.  Nanaki was the guardian of Cosmo Canyon, patrolling and protecting his homeland.  Aeris was dead for seven years now, and if what they say about the Cetra is true, then she was in the Promised Land.  And lastly, there was Yuffie Kisaragi.  That loud ninja was a handful, and Vincent had not forgotten when she stole all of their materia.  But she was the reason Vincent was going to Wutai. Tomorrow would mark the beginning of a new era for Wutai.  Yuffie was going to succeed Godo as the ruler of Wuati.  Two weeks earlier a messenger from Wutai had given him a message from Yuffie.

_"Dear Vincent Valentine,_

_            I, Yuffie Kisaragi, humbly ask for your presence at my succession ceremony. It will be on September 16th, two weeks from now. I have asked for you and the rest of Avalanche to atten-~-~----_______

_Hey there Vinnie! How are you!?!? I hope you come to my huge party! It's gonna be great! Everyone else is gonna be there! So you better show up! If you don't, I'll just have to come by and "liberate" your materia! And you know I will. This isn't a threat, it's a **warning. Remember, two weeks from now. **_

_Hope to see you soon,_

_Yuffie_

_P.S. Can't wait to see you!"_

Vincent had mixed feelings about going to see all of his friends again.  Seven years was a long time. They've probably all changed. But me, I will always be the same.  Would they really be happy to see me?  Would they really enjoy my company, or what little company I give?

_"Of course not….who in their right mind would enjoy the company of a demon……."_

"Chaos…."

_"Heh heh heh….who else?  Do you really believe that they ever considered you a friend? You horrify them Vincent.   Remember when they first stumbled upon your coffin? When they first looked into your red eyes? They recoiled in horror at the sight of you!  They loathe you Vincent. Only they're too nice to say it to your face."_

"Away from me Chaos, I do not need your idle banter in my hea…"

_"Here's a thought. When you get to Wutai…why don't you release me?  I'm sure they'll be happy to see me. I want to bathe in their blood, Vincent.  I want to see red pools of it on the floor; I want to see it stained on the walls.  That would give us both pleasure wouldn't it? Ha Ha Ha….."_

"Silence!"

Vincent's cry echoed through the grasslands and trees, the wind carrying his voice for miles around.  A Wutai Zolom was stirred from its slumber and raised its head.  Its forked tongue darted out and smelled the air.  Smelling the sent of a man to its left, the great serpent darted towards its prey.  

The great serpent had lived for many years, well over a hundred in fact.  These lands were the domain of the serpent, and it had been unchallenged for ages.  Winding its way towards its prey, it slithered swiftly and quietly.  When it got within one hundred yards the Zolom stopped and looked at the man in red.  The snake studied the man for a moment and thought to itself, "Hmm… not enough for a meal… but maybe a midnight snack."  

Vincent stood still as a statue and waited until the sound of Chaos' laughter died out in his mind.  Recently Chaos was more active than usual.  It was odd, and Vincent wanted to know why Chaos was so restless.  Vincent got his bearings and started forward again when he sensed an unknown danger ahead. Whatever it was, it was huge. Vincent continued to walk forward as he made sure Outsider was loosely fitted into its holster.  Before Vincent walked ten feet an enormous, scaled head rose up twenty feet before him.  The serpent hissed in greeting and bared its five foot fangs.  Vincent unbuckled his Death Penalty and cast Sense on the creature.

-----~~---~----~~~~--~~----~~~~-------Scanning…

Wutai Zolom:

Level: 73

HP: 65,000

MP: 400

AP: 200

Resistant to poison, stone, death, slow, confusion, and silence. 

Hmm… nothing I can't handle.  Vincent casually shifted into a battle stance, waiting for the creature to make the first move.  The great serpent was astonished to find a prey that was not paralyzed in fear.  Strange creature, it thought.  Red eyes that glow in the darkness, a claw instead of an arm.  The serpent hissed again and slammed its tail on the ground, making the earth shake.  But the man still stood, unfazed by the serpents display of strength. This only angered the Zolom even more, and with an ear-splitting hiss, it lunged at its prey.  Vincent waited, and at the last instant, in one fluid motion, darted to the side and fired a shot into the neck of the beast with his Outsider.  The Zolom quickly recoiled and hissed in pain, blood running down its long, scaly form.  The Zolom's eyes flashed and it called down Bolt 2.  Vincent leaped away and narrowly dodged the blast, but the serpent's huge tail swung out from behind him and slammed into his side, throwing Vincent hard onto the plains.  Vincent used his momentum to roll onto his feet and face toward the serpent.  Vincent unloaded shot after shot from the Outsider into the Zolom's wound.  With a cry of fury, the Zolom lunged again and head butted Vincent full in the chest.  Vincent flew into the air and holstered his Outsider and pulled out his Death Penalty.  Readying himself for a rough landing, Vincent braced for impact, but the serpent's tail came from nowhere and wrapped around Vincent.  Vincent was suspended twenty feet into the air and was at eye level with the fierce beast.  Blood flowing from a wound above his eyes, Vincent stared into the huge, narrow black eyes of the Zolom.  The Zolom inched its great head slowly towards Vincent, victory burning in its pupils.  Five feet away from the red-eyed man's head, it slowly opened its mouth and hissed.  Vincent glared at the creature unfazed and said calmly under his breath, "Comet 2."

Suddenly the sky lit up.  A deafening roar filled the air and the Zolom turned its head towards the sky in search of the disturbance.  The Zolom hissed in surprise as five balls of fire slammed into its flesh.  The comet spell engulfed both Vincent and the Zolom because of their close proximity to each other.  Vincent gritted his teeth, the pain of the spell shocking his body.  The Zolom let go of Vincent and he fell with a thud on the ground. Vincent quickly side rolled and couched.  The Zolom had fallen in a heap just feet from where Vincent was, coiling and uncoiling in pain and shock.  Near death, the Zolom had forgotten about its midnight snack.  The only thing on its mind now was escape.  It tried to move but the power of the comet spell had smashed and broken its body, severing its spine.  The Zolom tried and tried again to move, but its body would not obey.  Finally the Zolom laid its head on the floor, exhausted and in pain.  Maybe if it faked its death the man would leave.  Vincent slowly got up.  Breathing heavily, he made his way to the serpents head.  Standing ten feet away, he looked at the still form of the serpent.  Vincent raised his Death Penalty and fired a shot through the skull of the serpent.  The serpent's upper body convulsed in its death then lay utterly still.  Vincent closed his eyes and cast Cure 3 on himself.  Green light surrounded him and grew in intensity.  He felt the magic flow through him and heal his wounds.  The gash along his forehead was no longer there but the blood was still warm.  Vincent saw a faint light shine on his side and inspected his Outsider.  His Barrier materia glowed faintly then dimmed to nothing.  The materia had increased a level and was now able to produce the spell 'Reflect'.  Sighing to himself, Vincent inspected the body and found a blood covered sack.  It seemed to have fallen out of one of the wounds of the snake.  Inside the bag was a pile of Gil.  Vincent opened his own money bag and emptied the Gil into it; seven thousand Gil.  Not bad.  Vincent took one last look at the Zolom before continuing his journey to Wutai.  

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(^_^)-_ I hope you guys liked the first chapter. I wanted Vincent to face a stronger monster than the ones that really hung out around Wutai and I figured that I would make up the Wutai Zolom.  This story is one that I hope you readers will enjoy, because I'm having a great time writing it.  I would like to also ask that you please review and give me your thoughts. But no flames! _


	2. Through the streets of Wutai

In the end, Hope is all you have – Gunslinger

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_Disclaimer- I do not own any part of Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters portrayed within. They are the sole property of Square Enix –I like my disclaimer-_

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_The Streets of Wutai_

Vincent walked through the city gates of Wutai and looked around at his surroundings.  Many of the buildings surrounding the streets were pitch black, their occupant's asleep, dreaming dreams Vincent would never know nor cared to know.  Continuing on the main road, Vincent turned his head towards the Turtle's Paradise.  Its lights were still shining brightly and the building was filled to capacity.  Vincent paused for a bit, looking through the glass and seeing Cid and Barret laughing and downing enormous amounts of beer.  Cid laughed particularly hard at something that Barret said and fell off his stool, spilling his beer all over himself.  Barret laughed uproariously at Cid and poured his own beer on the drunken airship captain. 

"Barret!  What the hell…*cough*… was that for?"

"Dunno… funny though! Ha Ha Ha…*burp*"

"Funny!?!  You wasted good beer you $@&%# ass!"

Cid got up and yelled for more beer.  Barret grunted in agreement, and then punched Cid in the face.  Cid fell back and landed on the floor, dazed.  Barret got up and extended his hand to Cid, who took it and got to his feet.  Then with a yell Cid tackled Barret to the floor, knocking over an empty table and spilling half drunken beer all over them.  Both of the men sat up and laughed so loud Vincent could swear that the whole town would wake.  

"Bartender!  Round of drinks for everyone!" yelled Cid, holding up an empty mug.

"Yeah!" screamed the other customers.

"Put it on Barret's tab!  He's paying for ev'rything!" yelled Cid again.  Barret, too drunk to care, merely nodded his head.  The bartender smiled and shook his head, "That fellow's gonna hate himself tomorrow."  Vincent merely shook his head at the antics of his two friends and continued down the road toward Yuffie's mansion.  Farther along the path Vincent crossed one of the many bridges that connected the various parts of Wutai together.  As he crossed, Vincent looked down at his reflection in the water.  He could see his glowing eyes reflecting off the water staring back at him, and if he wasn't so used to seeing it, he might have had a chill run down his spine.

Again Vincent doubted whether or not he should have come.  Surely they wouldn't miss me.  His presence always brought a chill to the air.  In the entire group, he was the most distant, the most closed off.  He thought back to the time that Chaos mentioned to him earlier that night, when they first opened his coffin.  He had to agree with Chaos.  Fear and mistrust was etched into their faces when they saw him for the first time.  And after that when Vincent joined the party, Vincent felt a hint of fear from his comrades.  But that was how everyone saw me, he thought, and with good reason.  Well, except Yuffie.  But Vincent dismissed the thought. Yuffie was probably more interested in his and everybody else's materia to be scared of him.  But sometimes he saw her out of the corner of his eyes, looking at him.  It was odd, peculiar behavior, something that never happened to him before.  Vincent sighed to himself, turned a corner and stood still.  Quickly before they noticed he was there, Vincent turned around and hid behind the corner of the building he passed.  Under a tree next to a street lamp were Cloud and Tifa.  Cloud was sitting with his back against the tree and Tifa was sitting with her back on his chest.  Cloud's arms encircled Tifa and her arms were atop of his. Tifa slipped her fingers between her husbands and laid her head under his chin. 

"Are the children asleep Cloud?" Tifa asked as she adjusted her position into a more comfortable one.

"I put them to bed fifteen minutes ago, Tifa." 

"Good.  Those two have too much energy.  Soon we're not gonna be able to handle them."

"Zell and Lily aren't that bad.  Sure, they have enough energy to power a Mako reactor, but that's how kids are.  And I'm thankful they have that energy, because they need it for their lessons.  Zell is getting better everyday with his sword and Lily can fight like a demon.  But they'll never be more than a match for the two of us, together," Said Cloud as he gently placed a kiss on her forehead.  Cloud caressed Tifa's stomach with his hand and held her closer to him. "They'll grow up to be good people, I promise." 

"I know, Cloud.  I know.  But they're growing up so fast.  Soon they'll be off having their own adventures and they'll leave us behind.  And that's what scares me the most."  Tifa closed her eyes wrapped Cloud's arms around her tighter, losing herself in his tight embrace.  "I love you Cloud Strife. I love you with all my heart."

"I love you too, Tifa Lockheart. More than you'll ever know." 

Tifa looked up into Cloud's eyes and smiled.  Then she tilted her head and brought her lips closer and closer to her husbands.  Cloud followed her example and they met halfway, their lips combined into a passionate kiss.

Vincent decided that it was time to go and he left down a smaller street, taking the longer way to the mansion.  Zell and Lily; so those were the names of Cloud's children.  Vincent stared straight forward and thought about the event he just witnessed.  They've changed.  They seem happy together.  It was good that they had found happiness together.  Once, a lifetime ago, Vincent had longed for that kind of happiness. But now, he didn't know if he wanted it, if he deserved it.  Being the coward that he was, he had let Lucrecia down all those years ago and had blown away any chance he would ever have at happiness.  He had been weak; weak at heart, weak in spirit.  The reality he lived in now was by his own doing.  This was his punishment for the sins of the past.  Vincent remembered back to the time when the party's submarine landed on the shores of the hidden cave.  He had expected them to find a rare materia or weapon, but never did he expect to see his long lost love again.  In that fateful meeting, Vincent learned that Lucrecia had changed.  She no longer felt love for him.  It was like she didn't feel anything at all.  Vincent had tried to get her to talk more, but to no avail.  Later on in their quest they returned to the cave.  This time Vincent would make her listen.  This time Vincent would apologize for his mistakes and try to make it right.  But she was gone.  In her place was the Death Penalty.  He picked up the weapon and examined it. Turning it around in his hands, Vincent thought about Lucrecia and wondered what had become of her.  The next moment he was struggling to stand.  A new voice entered into his mind.  It was a chilling voice devoid of any manner of good will.  It was the first time he heard the voice of Chaos.  The voice had frozen him in place and battered his mind.  The utter chaos in his mind at that moment took his breath away and he knew that a new demon was born.  This memory brought back Chaos' laughter ringing in his head.  Vincent stopped in his tracks.

_"Ha Ha Ha Ha… Not so happy for me being a part of you?? Hmm… the feeling is mutual Vincent. The feeling is mutual.  Who would want to be stuck in the head of a weakling? Soon, you will crack, and I will be free to show my wraith to the world. Ha Ha Ha… Soon Vincent, soon."_

"Silence, monster! Leave my thoughts! Go back into the darkness!" Vincent concentrated to put back the barrier in front of Chaos' domain.  Though the barrier was fragile, it was enough to stop the creature from entering his thoughts too much.  At last, Chaos' laughter died out and Vincent was left alone, standing on the street.  Vincent sighed.  Would he ever be rid of his demons?  Would he ever know peace?  No. This is my punishment, Vincent thought.  He berated himself.  Stop thinking these thoughts.  "They are of no importance now." Vincent said to himself.

By now Vincent was nearing the town center, where Yuffie's home was situated.  Vincent continued through the shadows in a straight line towards her home.  He didn't want anymore distractions bringing up memories that were better left buried.  

Up on the rooftops, a figure darted from house to house, following the man in red.  The figure had been stalking her victim ever since he entered the town gates.  She almost blew her cover when she saw Cid and Barret having their fun, and she smiled to herself when Vincent almost walked in on Cloud and Tifa having their 'moment' of married bliss.  She held her breath when Vincent stopped walking and began talking to himself. Though she didn't hear the words, she knew that it wasn't a very happy conversation.  When Vincent had finally begun walking again, her excitement ignited.

"The town center's where I'll ambush him." She thought. A wide smile spread across her face.

Vincent slowed his stroll and casually looked around.  He knew that he was being followed ever since he entered Wutai.  What he didn't know was whether or not the person following him was a friend or foe.  Vincent idly unbuckled his Outsider.  If there was going to be a battle, then he might as well level up his materia.  Vincent was nearing the great fountain that was at the very heart of the city when he heard the air move like it shouldn't, like it was being cut in half.  The distinctive sound of something razor sharp flying to through the air towards him confirmed his suspicions.  Like when he fought with the Zolom, Vincent waited until the last instant to dodge out of the way.  He side stepped and back flipped away from the fountain for more room to maneuver. 

The attacker jumped off the building she was hiding on and caught her weapon as she somersaulted in the air.  Landing in a forward roll, she began to call forth a Fire 3 spell from the Fire materia inserted in her Conformer.  The materia shone a bright green and greenish light swirled around Yuffie Kisaragi as she prepared her magical assault.  Vincent, who still didn't know who was attacking him, saw that the attacker was readying an offensive spell, and cast Reflect on himself.  The materia glowed and Vincent felt a tingling sensation run over his body.  

"Fire 3!" yelled Yuffie.  The air around Vincent suddenly became very hot and then ignited in a huge wall of flame.  The magical shield gleamed bright white and the fire spell around Vincent dissipated and disappeared. 

"What in the…!" Yuffie exclaimed as she watched her fire spell vanish. "What the heck hap…?" The air around Yuffie grew hot and ignited in a fury of flame and smoke, and then was gone.  Yuffie yelped in pain and fell back on her bottom, hitting the ground hard. 

"Why are you attacking me?" Vincent asked in a cold voice as he raised his Outsider and walked toward his opponent. 

"Ouch, Vinnie… that hurt _a lot."_

"Yuffie?"  Vincent holstered his weapon and extended a hand to help Yuffie get back on her feet. "Why did you attack me?"

"I attacked you because you're late, Vinnie!  Everyone else got here days ago and I thought you forgot about my party!  In my opinion you deserved it.  I was just playing around anyway, Vinnie.  Gosh, you gotta lighten up sometimes."

"Please Yuffie; refrain from calling me 'Vinnie'.  That is not my name."

"Whatever you want Vinnie." Yuffie smiled and rubbed her sore butt. "Ouch! It hurts, it hurts!"

Vincent raised an eyebrow and extended his hand toward her chest, stopping a foot away.  He could only see her outline because of the dark, and wondered how she looked like now.

"Cure 3." He muttered.  Green light surrounded Vincent and then traveled down his outstretched arm into Yuffie.  Yuffie closed her eyes and let the magic flow.  It felt so good; the magic rushing in and restoring her vitality.  She felt the burns on her skin and the pains on her butt fade away.  A Cure 2 would have been enough, but Cure 3 sure felt better.  After the spell had ceased, Yuffie looked at Vincent and lost herself in his eyes.  He had medium sized, narrow eyes; but his glowing, blood-red pupils were what had her entranced.  Unlike others who stared into his eyes, she didn't fear them.  Their glow wavered with his mood.  She knew that from the quest they all took together.  When he wasn't looking in her direction, Yuffie liked to look at his eyes and after a time was able to see what little emotion he conveyed through them.  

Yuffie had secretly fallen for Vincent seven years ago.  His mysterious persona and handsome features worked very well in his favor.  Yuffie had liked him the most out of the others because, like her, they didn't really play a very important role in defeating Sephiroth.  If Cloud and the others weren't in the forest walking around, they'd have never fought her or recruited her.  What would she have been doing now if she never met them?  Yuffie laughed inwardly, she'd probably still be out in the world hunting materia.  But that was the same situation that Vincent had.  If they had never opened the safe and found the key to his room, he would still be in there, sleeping.  Whenever they were on the Highwind and she wasn't sick to her stomach, she'd watch him from a distance; curious, always wondering what went on in his head.  But she didn't fall for him at first sight.  In truth, Yuffie never thought that she'd come to feel this way.  She had fallen for him gradually.  The first time she had seen him fight she was impressed.  The first time she had seen him transform, she was awestruck.  Never in her whole life had she seen something like this, one minute Vincent was right beside her, and the next she heard a cry of rage and in place of Vincent was the Galian Beast.  After that battle Galian Beast ran into the woods, and minutes later Vincent walked out as if nothing had happened.  But she didn't fall for him because of the silent power that he radiated, but because deep down she knew that under all the hurt, pain and suffering; Vincent was a good man. He was such an enigma, though.  He never smiled, never showed any kind of emotion on his face, except through his eyes, and that wasn't much either.  Their personalities were polar opposites, but opposites attract right?  Throughout the journey Yuffie, to her surprise, had found herself staring at Vincent all the time when he wasn't looking, staring at everything.  Whenever they fought together, his mere presence next to her made her want to do better, made her want to fight harder.  She remembered back when they faced Bizarro-Sephiroth--

******

_She, Vincent, and Nanaki were put into a team, fighting on the other side of the party.  Yuffie had attacked and destroyed the Left Magic of Sephiroth; and she jumped for joy and turned to see if Vincent had seen her do it, when the core of Sephiroth shot a concentrated beam of energy right through her.  Yuffie blacked out and when she was arisen by a __Phoenix__ Down; Vincent had her in his arms and was protecting her from further attacks._

_"Are you alright?" Vincent said, the rush of magic spells flying around him. _

_"Yeah, I think so Vinnie…" Yuffie got up and looked at Vincent, "Thanks."_

_"It is of no concern.  Just remember that_ _the battle is not over.  I do not want to see you killed." _

_Vincent concentrated and cast Cure 3 on her, then resumed the battle with Sephiroth.  Yuffie stood there silent and watched as Vincent cast Ice 3. "I do not want to see you killed." His last sentence ran through her mind, confusing her.  Bolt 3 spell from Sephiroth hit the ground next to her and brought her back to her senses.  Yuffie grinned and ran back into the battle, "I promise you that I won't die Vincent, and I'll make sure you don't either."  Yuffie leapt into the air and with a yell released her Conformer with all her strength. _

******

Yuffie had never told Vincent how she felt.  She was only sixteen at the time, and they never were really close.  And besides, she had stolen all of his materia once, and that little fact didn't help matters at all.  After the fight with Sephiroth, everybody had parted ways.  Vincent was the first to leave, and he didn't say goodbye to any of them.  One night, he just up and disappeared.  None of the others worried about it. It was just how Vincent was, they said.  Even though she had known that was true, she still wished that he would have said goodbye to her.

Now, she had come to terms with her feelings and brushed them off.  It was just a little infatuation.  Over the years she had gradually stopped thinking about him, but now?  After seeing him again, those old feeling began to rise to the surface.

"Is something the matter?" Vincent asked.  They had been standing in the town center for a good while now.  He didn't what to say anything earlier, because she was lost in thought.  He never liked to be disturbed when he was thinking about something, but his patience was growing a little thin.  

"Hmm?!? Oh! No, it's nothing… why are we standing out here in the cold!? Come on, I'll show you inside."

Yuffie took Vincent's hand and marched toward her house, blushing as they as went.  Yuffie banged on the door and waited.  A few seconds later an attendant opened the huge double doors and let them inside.  Light cascaded through the opening and flooded the darkness around them.  Yuffie looked back at Vincent and gasped. 

"Vinnie! You got blood all over your face!  Did I do that?"

"It was not you; on the way here I encountered a Wutai Zolom." Vincent stated looking at her face, which was covered in shadow now that she had turned around.

"Are you still hurt?"

"No, this is just dried blood.  Think nothing of it."

"Whatever Vinnie.  Don't you know that Wutai Zolom's have poison glands all over their bodies?  Their scales are razor sharp and excrete the venom.  You might've cured yourself, but that's not gonna stop the venom if it cut you.  Come on, I'll show you to your room."  

Vincent gave a curious look and nodded.  Yuffie started forward and didn't let go of his hand.  They made their way out of the hall and into the main complex.  Vincent looked around.  It was a huge room, maybe as big as the Shinra Mansion's hall.  But the roof was very high up, about thirty feet.  On the walls of the place; they had hung scrolls, paintings, and various assortments of weapons.  To the left and right were sliding doors that Vincent supposed led to conference rooms.  Opposite where he entered was a large stair case that led up to the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors.  In the center of the main hall was a garden complete with a shallow pond.  Lilies floated around on the surface of the pond and fish swam beneath.  There was a small waterfall that sent a stream of water pouring into the pond, sending a pleasant sound through the air.  Many kinds of flowers were planted along the rim of the pond, and small shrubs lined the path into the garden.  Exotic trees Vincent had never seen before stood tall and proud.  Where the corners of the building were supposed to be, there instead were hallways that led to different parts of the mansion.  

Yuffie led him down the corridor to his right and continued past the first crossway until she got to the second.  They turned to the left and continued down and stopped at the third door on the left.

"This is your room Vinnie." Yuffie slid the door back, turned on the lights, and dragged him inside. "Now, take off your cloak while I get something to clean up that blood." Yuffie walked out of the room and slid the door shut.

Vincent stared at the door for a moment and sighed.  Vincent could clean himself up just as well as anybody, but he obliged and began unbuckling his cloak. Taking it off, he examined it.  Blood stains from the Zolom and himself were smeared all over it, and it was frayed and burned in the places that were exposed to the comet spell.  Vincent laid his cloak down on a two seated sofa and took off his bandana.  It was burned in places too, but not much.  Looking around, Vincent saw that his room was mildly decorated.  On the far wall hung a scroll painting depicting a waterfall, and on the floor under it was a bed made of many layers of thick sheets and blankets.  There was a desk placed into a corner and on top of it were sheets of paper and writing utensils.  Next to the desk on the wall was a full size mirror.  Vincent walked up to the mirror and stared at himself.  He did look a bit ruffled. There were small twigs and grass poking out of his hair and the blood stain on his face ran down his neck and left a large stain on his thick, black shirt.  Sighing again, Vincent unbuttoned his shirt and took it off.  He threw his shirt atop his cloak and looked at his image again.  His eyes trailed down his left side until his gaze settled on his metallic arm.  Taking his eyes away from the mirror, he turned around and walked over to the center of his room.  Looking down at his arm, he raised it and moved it around, faintly seeing his reflection on the metal.  Vincent touched his metal arm with his human hand and grabbed it.  It was warm, blood flowing beneath to the muscles that were fused to the metal.  He didn't understand how or why, but Vincent could 'feel' with his metallic appendage.  He could feel the things he touched; he could feel their texture.  He could also feel pain.  His metallic arm could feel everything his human arm did.  His gaze traveled up his forearm and to his claws.  He moved his clawed fingers and flexed them.  He was able to crush steel with these claws, and punch holes in stone walls.  Vincent started to feel dizzy and let his claw drop to his side.  He sat down on the sofa in front of his clothes and waited for Yuffie to appear.

"I think Yuffie was right about the poison." Vincent swayed in his seat and fell to the floor unconscious.

~~~~~

Yuffie walked down the hall and entered the medicine room.  After rummaging around for a few minutes, she finally found what she was looking for.  A small glass vial filled with a light green liquid.  This was the antidote for the Zolom's poison.  It was ironic that the antidote was derived from the poison itself, but diluted in water and mixed with several other ingredients.  The Zolom's poison was fast acting, and if not treated, the infected victim fell would fall into a coma and die.  She picked up the vial and put it in a bag she found hanging on the wall.  She also put a bowl, a bottle of water, a wash towel, and some bandages into the bag and made her way back to Vincent's room. 

He still looked the same as he did when she had seen him last, all those years ago.  Thinking about him made her chest tight and she blushed.

"What's wrong with me?  Calm down girl… you don't like him anymore remember?  It was just a crush." Yuffie sighed and shook herself.  Calm down, deep breaths.  

"Just because he's really, really hot and he makes you feel happy feelings doesn't hide the fact that you're just the little, sixteen year old ninja to him from seven years ago.  Get a grip.  He doesn't like you that way, so you shouldn't like him that way either."  

Yuffie walked the rest of the way to Vincent's room and stopped in front of the door.  Who was she kidding?  She had thought about Vincent nonstop for the last two weeks.  She had waited at the gates of Wutai so she'd be the first one to greet him.  She was falling for him again and there was no way to stop it.  Even if there was, she didn't want it to stop.  The knot in her chest tightened and she gripped the door handle, sliding the door open slowly.  She walked in and was about to yell a greeting when see saw him sprawled on the ground.

"Vinnie!!" Yuffie ran to his side and dropped the medical bag on the floor.  She picked up Vincent as best she could and laid his head in the crook of her arm.

"Vinnie! Vinnie wake up! Come on Vinnie, I can't help you unless you wake up!" Vincent shook his head violently and his body jerked every which way.  Panicking, Yuffie looked around for something that could help her wake him up.  Suddenly she realized that she brought water.  Grabbing the bag, she dumped the contents on the floor and using her mouth, unscrewed the cap and poured some of the water on his face.  Vincent coughed and sputtered and opened his eyes slowly. 

~~~~~

"Vinnie! Vinnie wake up!" Vincent faintly heard Yuffie's voice in his head.  He was spinning around in darkness.  In this place gravity was meaningless.  Visions of Yuffie and the others spun around in his head, confusing him.  In this tornado of visions, he saw Galian Beast roar and beat the ground.  That vision pasted and was replaced with Death Gigas yelling at the top of its voice at the night sky.  The sound pounded against his head and made the visions swirl faster and faster.  Scenes of his life as a Turk passed by in flashes and Lucrecia screaming at him came to the forefront. 

"WHY DIDN'T YOU PROTECT ME!?!?  I THOUGHT THAT YOU LOVED ME!!! YOU SAID YOU LOVED ME!!!!"

"I… do, I…did…"

That vision was torn away and replaced with Hellmasker laughing like a manic, swinging his chainsaw and running towards him.  Before Hellmasker could attack him, Yuffie's image popped back into his sight.  She was standing on a cliff looking out at the sunset.  She turned around and spread her arms toward him, inviting him into her embrace.  Vincent walked closer and closer, almost to Yuffie when the sky suddenly turned dark.  Chaos appeared behind Yuffie and grabbed her, flying out into the night sky. 

"Vincent! Help me!!" cried Yuffie, struggling to get free.

"NO!!!!" Vincent ran to the edge of the cliff and tried in vain to grasp her outstretched hand.  Chaos hovered just out of his reach and laughed. 

_"Ha Ha Ha…. What's the matter Vincent?  Do you care for this girl?  Ha Ha Ha…. How can you?  You're a demon, Vincent.  A demon!  We care nothing for these insignificant bags of meat!  They were put here for one purpose, to be our slaves!  Embrace the darkness, Vincent, become one with it, with me!  Then we'll show the world our power!"  _

Chaoses laughed again and bent down towards Yuffie.  Chaos slowly opened its fanged mouth and licked Yuffie's cheek with its long, slime covered tongue. 

_"No wonder why you like her so much… she tastes magnificent! Ha HA HA HAAA!!!!"_

"Chaos!! Let her go!! Your fight is with me monster!!"  Vincent tried again to reach Yuffie, but to no avail.  Vincent's eyes burned with hatred at the demon. "Let her go! Or so help me, I'll destroy you!"

Chaos stopped laughing and stared down at Vincent.  A smirk appeared on its face and Chaos released Yuffie to fall on the jagged rocks below.  Vincent reached out his hand and grabbed her fingers, but his grip slipped and Yuffie fell down into the darkness below, screaming.

"Yuffie!!" Vincent watched helpless as she disappeared from view.

_"You said let her go…. So I did.  Funny how gravity works though, isn't it?"_

Chaos threw back his head and laughed.  The evil, grating sound filled the air.  Vincent looked up and saw Chaos lunge at him. Before Chaos' claws ripped through his flesh, the vision faded and Vincent was alone in total darkness.  A faint sound reached his ears.  Was it a voice?  Yes it was.  It was a female voice calling to him.  

"I can't help you unless you wake up!" The words reached his ears faintly.  Again and again the beautiful voice said those words, and louder and louder it got, until the words were ringing in his ears.  Vincent felt a splash on his face and the darkness was drowned away.  Vincent coughed and sputtered and slowly opened his eyes….

~~~~~

His vision was clearing and he could see a face, a beautiful face.  Through he couldn't remember who it was.  He knew her, but from where he didn't know.  Somewhere, from the recesses of his mind, a name came to him.

"Yuffie?  Yuffie, is that you?"

Yuffie sighed in relief, a tear falling down her cheek.  She held him in her arms for a second more and then propped him up against the sofa.  Vincent's head swayed and fell.  

"Vincent? Vincent, look at me." Yuffie brought her face close to his and propped his head up with her hands. "Vincent, you have to sit up. Come on Vinnie, sit up. Vinnie, please sit up!  Please?"

"Yuffie…I have told you… before… to refrain from calling me 'Vinnie'."  Vincent sat up and looked at her. Their faces were inches apart.  Never before had he been this close to her, and he finally noticed the rare sparkle in her round, purple eyes.  He found himself lost in those eyes, lost in her.  Those eyes were filled with concern, filled with kindness that he had never seen from her before.  Was it concern for him?  Was it kindness for him?  Those eyes of her were so penetrating, so beautiful, and so lovely.  Before Vincent could stare anymore, Yuffie moved away from him and picked up the medical contents from the floor.  Vincent watched her and noticed that she looked very different than he remembered.

Her hair had grown out and was tied back.  Vincent thought that her hair length had to be below her shoulder blades.  She was a little taller than before, but she wore a similar outfit to the one she had on the quest.  She no longer had the huge arm guard on her left arm, in place of that was a thick, black leather shoulder guard with a plate of metal beaten on top.  She no longer had the white bandana around her head, in place of that was a metal headband engraved with the crest of her house.  She wore a skin tight, dark green shirt made of wool.  It looked like her original one, but it wasn't a turtleneck.  She wore a tan colored pair of shorts that actually fit her.  From her thick black belt hung small bags that held her Gil, items, and extra materia.  Also fitted in slots on her belt were small throwing knives that looked to be razor sharp.  Her dark brown gloves were stuffed in her pockets.  Her boots were made of dragon hide and dyed a dark brown.  They reached up to her calves and had little pouches and other throwing weapons fitted into them.  Her muscles were slender and lean, giving her body a long and curvaceous grace.  Vincent also noticed that her chest was fuller than before, but not so big.  She had matured in their years apart and all in all, she was beautiful.  

Yuffie finished gathering the items and returned to Vincent.  Vincent's body ached with a fever and he couldn't move a muscle.  It took all his will to keep his head upright.  Yuffie sat on top of Vincent, one leg on either side.  She poured the rest of the water into the bowl and placed that next to her leg.  

"Okay Vinnie, hold still while I clean you up."  Yuffie dipped the towel in the water bowl and squeezed the water out.  Then she gently started to wipe away the dried blood.  It was a slow process, and Yuffie hoped that Vincent wouldn't lapse into another unconscious state.  When she was finished, Yuffie inspected the closed wound.  Dark green poison was underneath the healed gash.  There was a lot of it.  The Zolom must have excreted all of the poison it one of its glands.  

"Vinnie? I'm gonna need you to hold really still okay?"  Vincent closed his eyes and nodded.  "I have to get this poison out of you, so I'm gonna have to reopen the wound.  Remember, hold really still, cause if this stuff gets in your eyes, you'll be blinded for life."  Yuffie pulled one of her throwing knives and held the bloodied cloth above Vincent's eyes.  Yuffie brought the knife up to his head and skillfully cut opened the wound.  As poison began to ooze out, Yuffie placed her mouth on the reopened wound and sucked hard.  Her mouth filled with the vile substance, almost making her vomit.  When she couldn't hold anymore, she turned her head and spit it out on the floor.  She did this three times, until all traces of it were gone.  Yuffie laid Vincent's head back and quickly wiped the wound clean and grabbed the antidote lying on the floor.  She unscrewed the cap and swallowed a little bit, then moved closer to him and spread the rest on the wound.  She was practically lying on top of him as she finished spreading the antidote.  

The knot in her chest tightened even more, and she started to breath fast.  Their bodies were pressed against each other and the heat emanating from his body was enrapturing.  Yuffie relaxed her body against his and looked at his face.  She was so close to him, so close she could feel his breath.  She ran her fingers through his hair and brushed his cheek with her other hand.  The antidote started to sizzle which meant that it was taking effect.  Vincent screwed up his face in pain and suddenly jerked upright.  Yuffie was caught off guard and clung to his neck to keep from falling.  Vincent's head fell upon her shoulder and she held him in her arms, relishing their close contact.  She held him until the antidote was done extinguishing the fire the poison had caused, which took about ten minutes.  During that time she held him close and whispered in his ear. 

"You're gonna be okay Vinnie, you're gonna be okay." She ran her fingers through his hair a second time and laid his head on her neck.  She stroked his back with her other hand and laid her head on top of his, whispering words of encouragement and strength.  

Vincent awoke and put his hands on her hips and slowly moved her away from him.  He knew everything that had happened.  He felt her warmth and took strength in it.  He heard her words of encouragement and had faith.  He felt her tenderness and lost himself in it, allowing the feeling to wash over him.  He felt her neck against his head and smelled the sweet aroma from her body.  She smelled like a morning breeze, like a bed of roses.  Vincent looked at Yuffie and produced a very small smile.

"Thank you Yuffie, for helping me." Yuffie blushed.

"Don't worry about it."  Yuffie bent to the side and picked up the bandages.  She bent towards him and began wrapping the bandages around his head, over the wound.  When she was finished, she got up and helped Vincent to his feet.  Vincent was still very dizzy and couldn't walk straight, but Yuffie supported his weight and helped him to his bed.  Vincent lay down heavily and Yuffie put the blanket on top of him.

"What you need now is sleep.  You'll feel a lot better tomorrow Vinnie, but the aftereffects of the poison will stay around for a few days." 

Yuffie walked over to the desk and started to write a note to the attendants.  When she was finished she went back to the bed and checked Vincent's bandage again.

"Goodnight Vinnie."

"Goodnight Yuffie."

Yuffie crossed the room and opened the door. She turned and looked back at him for a moment before shutting off the lights and leaving the room.

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_I hope you guys liked this chapter! It took forever to write! _

_Remember to please review and give me or thoughts, cause I wanna know. ^_^_


	3. A Ceremony and Fireworks

In the end, Hope is all you have – Gunslinger

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_Disclaimer- I do not own any part of Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters portrayed within. They are the sole property of Square Enix _

_Well, except for my characters like Wutari, Zell, Lily and anymore I might make up!_

_–I like my disclaimer-_

_------------------------------------------------------_(^_^)---------------------------------

_A Ceremony and Fireworks_

Vincent woke up and lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling.  The morning light flooded in through a hidden window next to the mirror and shone on his face, making him squint.  He didn't get much sleep the night before, and that was because of what happened that night.  After Yuffie had turned off the lights and left his room, Vincent tried to sleep, tried to think of nothing.  But he couldn't do it.  Images of Yuffie floated in his head, making him feel restless.  He thought about her for a long time, how long he couldn't tell.  He had lain as still as a statue, replaying every moment he could remember about their 'close encounter'.  That night an attendant came into his room and took something out of it, thinking he was asleep.  Vincent didn't care what the person had taken, his mind preoccupied with Yuffie.  Vincent had thought about her face the most though; the curve of her cheeks, her rosy pink lips, and her purple, expressive eyes.  Vincent didn't know why he thought about her, it didn't make sense.  And the emotion attached to his thoughts was driving him crazy.  It drove him crazy because he didn't know what it was he was feeling.  He couldn't put his finger on it, couldn't figure it out.  It was a restless, longing feeling; and with a hint of… happiness?  Vincent sat up and ran his hand through his hair and stopped halfway.  Yuffie had done the same thing last night, and it had felt… good.  

"What am I thinking?" He thought.  Vincent shook his head and regretted it a second later.  He head started spinning again had Vincent squeezed his eyes shut at the pain.  It seemed the poison still affected him a little.  Yuffie had warned him about aftereffects.  His head stopped spinning and slowed to a small dizziness.  He doubted whether he could stand or not, so decided to sit in bed.  Looking across the room, Vincent noticed that his clothes were gone.  That's probably what the attendant took, he thought.  He turned to the desk and saw his weapons and armor lying on the top of it, their materia slots still full.  Vincent smiled a small smile, it seemed Yuffie's crave for materia had lessened through the years.  Getting very tired of sitting in bed, Vincent decided to stand up.  Slowly he swung his feet off the bed and stood up.  He made his way to the desk and was about to buckle on his Death Penalty when the door slid open.

An elderly woman entered and bowed to him.  Vincent merely stood there, looking at the stranger.  She was short and plump, and had a motherly kindness about her. 

"Sleep well?" The lady asked as she made her way across the room.  She stood about a good two feet shorter that Vincent and had to look up.

"…Yes…"

"That's good to hear, now why don't you be a good boy and sit down so I can take a look at your wound."

Vincent raised an eyebrow and consented to the woman's request.  Through it irritated him that she had called him 'boy'.  Vincent sat on the edge of his bed and the woman started to take the bandages off.

"My name is Wutari.  If there is anything you need, just ask."

"…What is the time?"

"About half past ten."

"When is the ceremony?"

"Three o' clock." 

"Where are my clothes?"

"They are being cleaned at the moment."

"Cleaned?  …But I have nothing else to wear."

"I brought some clothes for you and put them in the closet before you woke up."

Vincent looked around the room, "I see no closet, Wutari."  Wutari paused and pointed behind them. "See that wall?  Well it's not really a wall, the door is just concealed."

"Why?"

"This is the House of Kisaragi, a proud ninja clan.  Why wouldn't things be hidden?" 

"…I see…" Vincent thought it was ridiculous to have hidden doors, but remembered his house, the Shinra Mansion, had a hidden door that led to the basement. "Are the clothes Wutainian?"

"Of course they are." 

Vincent shuddered inside.  He would look ridiculous in a Wutainian outfit.  "Do you have anything more… suitable?"

"Those clothes will look great on you, don't worry. Now, stop talking and be still."  Wutari ran a finger over the wound, which had closed.  There was no more poison visible and the cut was starting to fade.  "Your wound is healing over nicely, and it won't leave a scar either, isn't that nice?"

"……."

"Well I'll leave you be to get ready." Wutari walked across the room was at the door when Vincent called to her.

"Excuse me, Wutari."

"Yes?"

"My friends… would you tell me where they are?"

"Cloud and the others?" Vincent nodded. "They're in the east conference room.  Just go back to the main hall and you'll see it." 

Wutari left and Vincent stood up and investigated the wall she pointed to earlier.  He ran a claw on the wooden surface and found a small hand hold that blended very well with the rest of the wall.  He pulled and the door came an inch away from the wall and slid open.  Vincent examined the closet's contents.  It was bare except for a bright blue outfit; shirt, pants and even shoes. Vincent's eyes widened in shock.  It was tailored in the traditional style of Wutai.  Made of a soft cotton fabric, it was very thin and light.  Vincent sighed and put on the clothes.  Looking in the mirror a few minutes later, Vincent fumed.  He had never worn such a thing in his whole life and he looked ridiculous.  The blue, button-up shirt hung loosely on his frame and the pants were the same. His red eyes clashed horribly with the blue and his hair was like an untamed animal.  His claw made the clash complete.

"I look like an idiot.  I will never hear the end of this from Cid and Barret."  Vincent walked to his bed and withdrew his belt from his black pants.  He put it on and went to the desk.  He buckled the Death Penalty and Outsider to his sides and hid them as best he could with his new blue shirt.  Vincent picked up his Gold armlet and put it on his metallic hand.  With everything set, Vincent walked out of his room into the hallway.  Vincent took his time walking to the conference room; he didn't want his friends to see him in this, but he had no choice.  Walking towards the main hall, Vincent ran into a pair of children, play fighting.  The older one was a boy, who looked to be about six.  He had pointy black hair and brown eyes.  The boy was wearing a blue t-shirt and white shorts.  The younger child was a girl, and looked to be about five years old.  She had long blond hair and round, dark blue eyes.  She was wearing a laced, white dress.  The children were laughing and running, hitting each other with all there limbs.  They didn't notice Vincent and the girl ran into him and fell down.

"Hey mister! You're in the way!" She got up and threw Vincent a glare.  She straightened out her dress and her glare turned into a smile.  "You look really funny in that, did you know? Hee Hee." Her brother stood next to her and agreed, both of them didn't notice his clawed arm. 

"Yeah! You look weird. Ha Ha Ha!

"…………." Was all Vincent had to say.  The children looked up at him and smiled, waiting for the stranger to say something.  When he didn't, the boy looked at the girl and shrugged his shoulders. 

"Guess you don't know how to talk, mister.  My name is Zell, and my sister's name is Lil…!" Zell was punched in the stomach by his sister.

"I wanna tell him my name!  My name is Lily! Nice to meet you!"

So these are Cloud's children?  The resemblance was there, he mused.  Zell looked like his father, but had the hair color and eyes of his mother.  Lily looked like her mother, but had the hair color and eyes of her father.  But both of them had a very faint green glow in their eyes, probably the Mako energy inherited from their father. 

"Well, see you around!" Zell and Lily ran back along the corridor and out of sight, their giggles and laughter echoing down the hallway.  Vincent continued down the hallway and soon found himself in the main complex.  Turning to his right, Vincent walked to the doorway and stopped in front of it.  He could hear Barret grumbling about something, and Cid laughing his head off.  Vincent slid the door open and entered the conference room.  Vincent looked around and saw all of his friends except Yuffie.  Barret and the others stopped talking and looked at the figure standing in the doorway.  They stared in shock for a few seconds then all of them burst out laughing.  

"HA HA HA HA!  Is that you, Vincent!  @$&%!! You look terrible!"  Cid doubled over laughing and couldn't speak anymore, tears streaming down his eyes.

"That color matches you perfectly, old friend." said Nanaki, he was lying down in a corner.  His mane had grown out and made Nanaki look even more ferocious.  "It brings out your eyes…HA HA HA ... (roar)…HA HA!"  Nanaki swished his flaming tail and laid his head on his paws.  Barret was laughing so hysterically he couldn't say anything.  Reeve walked up to Vincent and shook his hand.

"It's great to see you again, Vincent.  But you must switch back to your old wardrobe."  Reeve chuckled and patted Vincent on the shoulder and led him to a chair, then took his own; Vincent was about to seat himself when Cloud came up to him and shook hands, "It's been forever Vincent, good to see you again."  Tifa followed in stride and gave Vincent hug. "You look the same as you did the last time I saw you, well, except for the clothes.  Hee hee."  Vincent raised his eyebrow and sat down.  Cloud and Tifa went back to their seats as Barret started to talk again.  

"Like I was sayin' before Vincent came in, Cid thought it'd be a great idea ta order a 'round of beers for everyone in da place!  And the foo' had me pay for it all!  I'm flat broke now."

"Shut yer mouth, Barret.  You were so drunk that night you would've done it anyway.  I was just lending you a helpin' hand." Cid gestured with his hand toward Vincent.  "So, what's with the @%#@*'n get up?"

"… My clothes were dirty from travel… and this was all that was available." Vincent said with no emotion on his face. 

"Ever the stiff…"Cid mumbled, "You gotta come and drink with us sometime, Vincent.  Let loose." 

"…Perhaps…"

"So Vincent, how has life treated you?" asked Nanaki, raising his head.  

"…The same as it has always treated me…" was Vincent's vague reply.  

"Do you still live in the mansion?" Tifa asked.

"…Yes…"

"Alone?" Cloud asked with a smile.

 "…Yes…"

"What have you been doing all this time Vincent?" asked Reeve.

"…nothing of importance… just trivial things that I will not speak of…" Vincent lied.  In his time away from his friends, he had been clearing the Nibel Mountains and surrounding areas of the more hostile monsters.  He had also been journeying around, gathering herbs and rare materials and bringing them back to the residents of Nibelheim, for a small fee.  With the surrounding areas clear of large monsters, the people could also venture out and gather herbs, but none of them seemed to find the very rare ones that Vincent always brought back.  Vincent had made a decent living doing this, and was still doing it to this day.  The people used these herbs and materials and made rare items, armor and weapons with them, so people and merchants from all over the world came and brought their wares.  Because of this, Nibelheim had slowly become a huge town with more commerce.  The people of Nibelheim still feared him a little, but respected him and left him in peace.  

"…what of you and the Shinra, Reeve?" Vincent asked, changing the subject.

"Oh yes!  The rebuilding of Midgar is almost complete, about 90%. The city no longer floats and no longer uses Mako energy to power everything.  Now we have huge solar panels and electrical generators to power the city.  Our scientists are working even now to find better ways of producing electricity."

"Is that all the scientists are doing?" Vincent eyed the Shinra president. 

"Yes of course.  I won't allow anymore experimentations in things that can go terribly wrong and be harmful to humans and the planet.  I think that we all have learned that lesson well."

"Damn straight." Cid chimed in.  He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. 

"I don' think we supposed to smoke in here, Cid."  Barret said, eyeing the cigarette.

"Don't give a rat's ass.  Besides, I'll be done with it in two minutes." Cid took a huge puff finishing half of it. "See? Two minutes tops."

Vincent looked at them for a moment and then turned back to Reeve. "And what of the Turks?"

"Reno, Rude, and Elena are my personal bodyguards and assistants.  Don't worry about them, their just doing their jobs."

"Where are they now?"

"I had them stay back in Midgar to keep an eye on everything, much to the protests of Reno.  I'm here with my friends and don't need my bodyguards here too." 

"…I see…" Vincent remembered the things he did as a Turk, and protecting the president was only one of the duties a Turk carried out.

"It is good to know Shinra has a just and morale president, perhaps this time Shinra will not fall into shadow again."  Reeve blushed and brushed the comment aside with a wave of his hand.

"I have a long way to go yet, a very long way." Reeve said.  Vincent nodded and turned to Cloud and Tifa. 

"…I met your children in the hall on the way here…they are very…spirited."

"Wasn't Marlene with them?" Tifa asked.

"…I did not see her."

"They must've run away from her again.  They love to do that."  

Vincent nodded his head, "…Do you still live in Kalm?"

"Yes we do." Cloud answered. "Tifa opened a new bar called 'Tifa's Heaven', and I've been apart of the Kalm police force for five years.  We still go Chocobo riding know and then, trying to teach Zell and Lily the basics.  Barret lives next door to us with his daughter Marlene and Aeris' stepmother Elmrya, and…"  Before Cloud could finish his thought, Barret interrupted. 

"Yea, I live next to spikey-head over there.  I'm also part of the police force, higher rankin' and everythin' too."  Barret grinned and looked at Cloud, daring him to say anything.  Cloud looked back and said nothing, grinning in defeat.

"…I see…and what of you Cid?" 

Cid had finished his cigarette and lit another one before he spoke.

"Haven't been doing much except teach my kid how to fight and fix things.  Brin's gettin' pretty damn good for a five year old.  He clings too much on his mom, though… I think they're out buying things right now." Cid took a long puff, "Other than that, just sittin' around, enjoyin' life."

"…Nanaki…how fares the canyon?"

"It's very well, Vincent, very well indeed.  Forests have started to grow around the canyon and many people have come to study about the planet.  My mate is still there, guarding our homeland."  

"…Mate?..."

"Oh yes…forgot you didn't know about that.  One day, while I was patrolling, I found her being attacked by a pack of Golems.  Natsuya, that's her name, was already badly wounded.  So I helped her and brought her back to Cosmo Canyon.  She decided to stay and protect the canyon as well, and in time, we fell in love.  She's pregnant at the moment, and I expect to have a litter in a week or so.  Nanaki grinned and then yawned, flashing his razor sharp teeth.  

Vincent sat in his seat, digesting all of this new information.  There lives were so complete, full of purpose.  Each of them had something to live for, something to die for, and he had nothing.  He had nothing to live for; he had wasted their time apart, wasted time the planet had given him to grow.  Vincent felt a twinge of envy come over him, but quickly brushed it off.  "This is my _punishment. My own."  _

During the rest of the conversation Vincent sat quietly and watched as Cid and Barret again to share war stories and Cloud popping in now and then to share his own.  Tifa told of the success of her business and Reeve gave them a detailed account of the rebuilding.  Nanaki further shared more information of his experiences and trails.  They tried to make Vincent talk more about himself, but Vincent just gave them one word answers.

~~~~~ _  _

Yuffie sat on a cushion in her room, Wutari fixing her hair.  She slept peacefully that night, dreaming of Vincent.  She smiled and blushed, thinking about his touch.  It had felt so good being that close to him; feeling his body next to hers, his warmth igniting her passion.  Now that she was away from him, she ached to touch him again, if only to touch his hand.  If only he could see how she felt, but she was too scared to tell him.  She didn't want to be rejected, nobody would.  Thinking about it now, Yuffie thought she saw a longing in his eyes that night.  Yuffie could swear on all her materia that Vincent was feeling the same thing she was.  She giggling and moved her head, making Wutari mess up.

Talking in Wutise

"Yuffie Kisaragi!  Hold still!"

"Sorry Wu… I'm just really happy, that's all."

"Why?  Is it because of that man?

"Maybe… depends on who you're talking about."

"The man with red eyes.  I've seen you look at him.  He melts you!" Wutari laughed and Yuffie turned around and pointed accusingly at her.

"Wu!  Stop making fun of me!  It's not like that!  Vincent's just my friend!"

"Do not lie to me Yuffie.  I have seen through your lies all your life.  Don't think I can't now.  It's good that you have finally found someone to make your heart sing.  I have waited for that to happen for a long time."

"Me too, Wu.  Me too.  Was it like that when you met your husband?"

"Yes it was.  He made my heart sing.  And you know what?  My heart wanted to sing with his so much, I never gave up hope that one day we would be together.  After he came back from the war, we married and had fifty years together until he died."

"I'm sorry Wu… Hyate was like a great guy.  I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"Don't be.  We had a wonderful life together and don't regret anything."

Wutari finished with Yuffie's hair and looked her in the eyes. 

"I warn you Yuffie; don't wait to long to tell him of your love.  Because one day he might not be there to hear it."

"I know Wu.  But it's too hard to tell him.  I mean, gosh!  I stole his materia once! He was so mad his eyes were glowing in the daylight!  I don't know what to do."

"My last piece of advice, _listen to your heart and do what it tells you to do. Listen hard._"

"Thanks." Yuffie pulled Wutari into a tight embrace.  Wutari patted her back and lifted her off the cushion.  Yuffie walked over to the mirror and took a look.  Her hair had been done up, the long strands twirled into a bun at the back of her head.  It was held in place by an ivory hair pin, and inserted into the bun were ornamental chopsticks (I don't know what they're really called-^_~) and her bangs were to the side of her face, twirling down to her cheeks.  She had on small, hanging earrings made of silver, and around her neck was a thin, silver necklace.   Yuffie had light make-up on, with most of the emphasis around her eyes and on her lips.  She was wearing a formal kimono.  It was rosy pink and had a vine of flowers patterned into the outfit, starting from the bottom right and flowing up to the left.  Yuffie screwed up her face and turned to Wutari.

"I look funny!  Aww man!  I look stupid!  I can't wear this in public!" Yuffie fumed and stamped her foot.  Wutari busted out laughing and tried to calm the young ninja.

"Yuffie, you look beautiful."

"Whatever!  You're just saying that!"

"Yuffie, you look _beautiful.  Vincent will be pleased."_

"You think?  Okay then!" Yuffie gave Wutari another hug and then walked out of the door to find the others.  Wutari watched her leave and smiled.  Then she got a faraway look in her eyes and her smile dimmed.

"Remember, Yuffie.  Listen to your heart."

~~~~~

Yuffie walked down the stairs to the first floor. Her room was up on the 4th floor, and she had to stop and greet all the people see passed who greeted her.  After ten minutes, she finally arrived at the door of the conference room.  Bracing herself, she opened the door and walked in, but no one was there.  Puzzled, Yuffie looked around the empty room.  From the behind her, in the _other conference room, she heard Barrett's low, bass laugh.  Embarrassed like crazy, Yuffie quickly walked to the other side, through the garden, and stopped in front of the right door.  Bracing herself again, Yuffie slid the door open and walked in.  Cloud and the others turned and looked, shocked.  Tifa ran up to Yuffie and hugged her._

"You look wonderful Yuffie!  You're so cute in that!" Tifa dragged Yuffie into the room and sat her next to herself and Cloud. 

"Wow." Said Cloud. "You look great."

"Yeah…if I wasn't married, then…you know." Cid said, puffing on his cigarette.  Barret hit him and Cid fell down, cursing.

"Shut yo mouth foo'! Ain't you got no manners?"

"@%^$! I was just messin' around Barret!  I'm a happily married man, asshole!"

"Anyway," Barret said, "you look like one o' them Wutai dolls Marlene wants so much."

"You are a sight to behold Yuffie, like a sunset from the canyon." Nanaki said from his corner.  

"Great goodness Yuffie, I'm speechless." Reeve smiled and sat back, resting his hands together.

"Thank you guys." Yuffie looked in Vincent's direction.  She smiled and looked at his clothes, didn't match him at all.  Their eyes met for a few seconds and then Vincent turned his head and stared at the floor.  Yuffie, hurt by Vincent's lack of interest, looked away and tried to hide what she was feeling.  Tifa saw what happened and looked at Vincent.  She decided then and there to give Vincent a piece of her mind later.  

Vincent looked at Yuffie and couldn't take his eyes off her when she walked in the room.  She was so beautiful.  Vincent couldn't say a thing; thoughts of her were rushing through his head.  As he stared, he fell for her more and more, the lost emotion of love igniting in his heart.  She was picturesque, standing there around her friends, smiling.  When she looked at him, he could see that she was waiting for him to say something, but he couldn't.  He couldn't say anything to her.  He didn't deserve to be happy; he wouldn't allow himself to be.  Thoughts of his ultimate failure came to him, confirming it.  It has his fate to suffer.  It was his fate to be alone.  He had accepted it years before, but the yearning had come back, embodied in Yuffie.  Her eyes were pleading with him to say something, anything.  Vincent's chest tightened and he felt all the anguish and hurt rush in.  Vincent turned away from Yuffie's pleading eyes and stared at the floor.  He couldn't look at her.  It hurt too much to see what he couldn't have. 

The rest of the company didn't notice what had happened and before they could, Godo slid the door open.

"Yuffie! I've been looking all over for you! The ceremony's about to start!" 

"Okay dad! Sheesh! Hold your horses." Yuffie turned to her friends and put on a fake smile.

"The party's about to start guys, let's go!" 

Everyone followed Yuffie and Godo out of the room and out of the mansion.  Vincent was the last to follow, wanting to put as much distance as he could between him and Yuffie.  Outside, Vincent saw that the town center was packed with townspeople.  Children were running around laughing and playing, adults standing in place and cheering at the sight of Yuffie.  Vincent stood with Cloud and the rest of them to the side of the mansion's broad entrance way.  Shera had come from nowhere and was talking to Cid while Brin escaped his father's grasp and ran away.

"I'm gonna go play with Zell and Lily!" Brin said running into the crowd.

"Make sure ya don't get lost!  And don't pick fights you can't win!" Cid yelled to his retreating son.  Shera elbowed him in the ribs and wrapped her arms around his.

"Don't encourage his behavior Cid."

"What? He behaves just fine, like his pops." Cid stated, puffing away.  Shera rolled her eyes and looked at the crowd, putting her head on his shoulder.

Godo raised his hands to get the attention of the townspeople.  After a minute, the town center was quiet.  

"Good people of Wutai, I stand before you today to announce a new era.  I have ruled this fare city for thirty years, and the sun has now set on my time as ruler.  Together, we have been through much turmoil and hardships, but much more happiness and peace.  It has been my honor to be a part of the house of Kisaragi, and my honor to have a beautiful daughter succeed me.  She is feisty and has a quick tongue, but she also possesses strength, courage, and bravery.  I know that she will lead Wutai into a greater glory than what it has today."

The people cheered and a deafening roar filled the plaza.  Godo waited until the people were quiet than began again.  Two attendants appeared and each held a different item.  Godo turned to his daughter and lifted up the first item, and then he said in a loud voice, 

"I present to you the Sansetsuken, the great sword of Kisaragi.  May you use it to protect your subjects and destroy evil."  Yuffie took the sacred weapon from Godo and bowed.  The people sent a wild cheer into the air.  Godo took the last item from the attendant.

"I present to you the heirloom of the house of Kisaragi.  May you wear this necklace as a reminder of your new station, that it is your duty to protect and serve your people. May it also acknowledge your right to this position and show the people of the world who you are and what you represent."  Godo put the necklace around Yuffie's neck while she bowed again.  The people went wild and cheered nonstop.  Cloud and the others clapped and hollered, all except for Vincent, who only clapped.  Yuffie walked to the front of the entrance way and lifted her hands, the same way Godo had done before.  The people fell silent immediately, waiting for their new ruler to speak.

"I, Yuffie Kisaragi, pledge to honor my station and honor my people.  I promise to uphold this position to the best of my ability… Argh!!! I can't talk like this anymore!" the townspeople laughed.  "Thanks you guys for puttin' up with my antics and lettin' me get away with a lot of things, mainly materia!  Ha Ha Ha … I hope that you still treat me the same as you always do, just let me get away with more things!" Everyone laughed.  Yuffie laughed and started again. "But really, I'll try my best!" Yuffie bowed and walked back to where Godo was standing.  He gave her a severe look and then hugged her.  The townspeople cheered and laughed.  Yuffie was released by her father and turned to the crowd. 

"Let's get the party started!" The townspeople roared in agreement and then made way for a huge parade that began to come through the streets.  Everyone cheered as a huge, red paper dragon made its way to the square.  The men controlling it get their best to amaze the crowd. Suddenly, fireworks ignited and shot skyward, sending their shrill sounds through the town.  They exploded in a fury of sound and light, much to the delight of all.  Soon, Cloud and the others went down and joined in the festivities and dragged Yuffie with them.  Yuffie looked at Vincent and was able to see him looking at her for an instant before she was carted off.  Vincent walked back into the mansion to find his clothes.

~~~~~

It was nighttime when the celebration flared up to new heights.  The fireworks had been blasting off since the start of the party, and now they illuminated the night sky.  Lanterns were hung on poles and were connected by strings with small, brightly colored strings tied on to them.  The sounds of laughter and music beat the air, sending their joyous sounds far out into the Wutai plains.  Vincent walked out of the mansion and entered the town center.  He had finally gotten out of the ridiculous clothes and had on his familiar attire.  The noise irritated Vincent as he walked trough the streets.  Was there no place he could go in this town to get away from it?  He needed to think, and to do that he needed silence.  

Vincent walked around the edges of the town looking for anyplace that was silent.  Vincent kept walking and found himself at the entrance to the Da-chao Mountains.  Vincent peered up the mountain and changed his course, walking to the mountains.  Vincent walked along the trails up and up, seeking the highest peak. There he would find the silence that he needed.  Continuing up the trail, Vincent made it to the highest point.  He walked to the end of the trail and put his back on the huge hand that was carved out of the stone.  This night was another cloudless night and the moon shone with its full potential.  The moonlight cast an eerie, bluish glow on his surroundings, further adding to the beauty of the landscape.  

Vincent sighed.  He had stayed shut up in his room until his clothes were brought to him, thinking of Yuffie.  No matter how he tried, he couldn't get the ninja out of his mind.  He thought about the times they fought together.  He remembered the way she would gloat about her skills and how she was always polishing her materia.  He remembered the night when he left the group.  The group had camped out.  He had gotten up in the middle of the night, everyone else was still sleeping.  Vincent looked at each in turn and his gaze settled on Yuffie's sleeping form last.  He realized now, thinking back, that he had looked at her the longest out of all of them.  He watched as she brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them for warmth.  Her blanket had slipped off her and she was starting to shake.  Vincent went up to Yuffie and pulled her blanket over her, and then he left into the forest.  Vincent ran her face through his head for the millionth time, and sighed.

"I am falling in love with her." He thought aloud.  Vincent ran his fingers through his hair and closed his eyes.  Shaking his head he looked up and straight ahead, a figure made its way toward him.  The person was still too far away for Vincent to distinguish, but as it drew closer, he deduced that it was a female.  Soon the woman was close enough to Vincent that he could tell who she was.  It was Yuffie.  Vincent put on an emotionless mask and waited. 

~~~~~

Yuffie didn't get a chance to look for Vincent the whole day.  She had been dragged to party after party, eating and drinking.  Yuffie had finally gotten away from it all and searched through the mansion, looking everywhere for Vincent.  Talking to an attendant, she found out that he had shut himself away in his room, and then left when he had his clothes back.  Yuffie looked around the town and asked for him, but the only person who saw him said that he was heading in the direction of the town gates.  He had left her.  He had left and he didn't say goodbye again.  Yuffie heart hurt even more and she needed to get away from all the happiness that was radiating out of the town.  Running as fast as she could in her kimono, she didn't care where she was headed, and soon found herself in front of the entrance to the Da-chao Mountains.  This would be a good place to cry out my feelings, she thought, and made her way up the trail.  She headed toward the highest part of Da-chao; it was the place she loved to go to when she was a child.  She would go up there and think about ways to steal materia, think about ways to get in trouble, think about ways to make trouble for her dad.  She rounded the bend and looked up, and saw Vincent standing there with his back against the stone.  Her chest tightened and she almost jumped for joy.  He's not gone! He didn't leave! Were the thoughts running through her head.  

Yuffie reached Vincent and stood a few feet away.  They were all alone up here, and she desperately wanted to hug him.  It took all her willpower to stay in place and not jump in his arms.  They stood there silent; both wishing to speak but not wanting to go first.  Finally Yuffie got tired of it and spoke up.

"Hey Vinnie.  I didn't see you at the party."

"My apologizes."

"It's okay!  …um… what're ya going all the way up here?"

"…thinking…"

"Really! I came up here for the same thing." 

"Then I should be going.  I do not want to disturb you." Vincent started to walk down the trail. As he passed Yuffie she grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"No! Don't go Vinnie. Stay." 

"…very well…" Vincent said.  They looked at each other and felt the same things the other was feeling, but didn't know it.  Vincent wanted to pull her in his arms right there, but stopped himself.  He was a demon, and he could only bring her sadness and despair.  Vincent walked back over to the stone hand and leaned against it, resuming the same pose as before.  Yuffie leaned very close against to wall to the right of him, making him feel uncomfortable.  

"So…when are you leaving?"

"…in a few days.  Maybe two, maybe three…"

"Aww man!  I hoped you'd stay longer…"

"…I do not want to wear out my welcome…"

"What!  You're always welcome!  I should know, since I'm the head honcho around now!"  She turned to look at him and said in a quiet voice. "You're always gonna be welcome here, Vinnie, always."

"………"

Yuffie looked into his glowing eyes.  She had to tell him!  She just had to!  She knew that Wutari was right when she thought that Vincent had left her.  She braced herself and felt her courage rise, but then doubts and worries came floating into her mind. She felt her courage draining and she began to doubt.  Her breathing became short breathes and the knot in her chest tightened so much she felt like crying. 

"I can't tell you how I feel," she thought, "I'm too scared of what you'll say.  I wish I could kiss you right now Vinnie, I wish that you loved me the same way I love you, but you don't." Yuffie ended her inter monologue and turned away from him, wiping away a tear that escaped.  She couldn't bear looking at him anymore, because if she did, she'd probably die of longing.  She started to walk away when Vincent touched her shoulders.  The feel of his hands on her almost buckled her knees.

"Are you alright?"

"Ye…yes.  I'm…f-fine."  Yuffie didn't turn around as the tears started to flow freely down her face, smearing her make-up.  She had to get out there.  

"I'll…s-see you t-tomorrow Vinnie."  With that parting phrase, Yuffie ran down the trail. When she was out of sight; the emotions exploded forth and she cried the rest of the way down the trail.  

Vincent watched her leave.  He berated himself for letting her leave like that.  He knew she was about to tell him something important, but he let her go.  He slammed his metal fist into the rock hand and left a small crack. 

"I am weak. I was too weak for Lucrecia, and I am too weak for Yuffie.  I bring only sadness and despair.  It is my curse." Vincent looked into the sky, found a star, and thought of Yuffie until he couldn't see the star anymore.

----------------------------------------------------------

_I hope this chapter was good!  I know that there's not a lot of action in this chap, but I thought that I'd up the drama and romance a bit!_

_PLEASE REVIEW!!!! Please please please please please! Thanks for reading and reviewing!_

_^_~_


	4. The Professor

In the end, Hope is all you have – Gunslinger

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_Disclaimer- I do not own any part of Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters portrayed within. They are the sole property of Square Enix _

_Well, except for my characters like Wutari, Zell, Lily and anymore I might make up!_

_–I like my disclaimer-_

_------------------------------------------------------_(^_^)---------------------------------

The Professor

Reno sat in his chair behind his desk.  He was slouched back with is feet resting on is desk, one foot crossed over the other.  He was bored, and angry.  His thoughts still lingered on the orders Reeve had given him.  

-------

_"I want you, Rude, and Elena to stay in Midgar."_

_"But sir!__  The Turks are supposed to protect you!"_

_"No buts, just follow orders and look after Midgar while I'm away."_

_Reeve left __Reno__'s office and closed the door behind him._

_------_

"Damn."

Reno threw the file he was looking at on his desk.  He ran his hand through his auburn hair.  He couldn't believe that Reeve had ordered them to stay behind.  Much as he didn't like it, orders were orders.  It had been seven years since Reeve had taken office.  In the beginning Reno hated it, but as time went by he had gotten used to the new president.  Reno looked around his desk for that file he threw earlier, but couldn't find it.  He didn't look when he threw it, and the file looked like all the others cluttered around in heaps on his desk.  Cursing, Reno searched through the mess and after a few minutes, found the file.  It was another report on the progress in rebuilding Midgar.  He flipped through the file until he found where he left off.  All of the Mako reactors were fixed and running smoothly.  Instead of processing Mako energy they now had huge solar panels all around them, soaking in the sun's rays and producing electricity.  He reached the end of the file and signed his signature at the bottom.  Putting the file back on his desk, Reno pressed a button on his answering machine.

"Miss Gillian, I need more coffee, now."

"Right away, Mr. Reno."

Reno got up and paced around his room, waiting for his coffee to arrive.  He thought about Rude and Elena, wondering what they were doing right now.  Thinking for a few moments, Reno remembered that they were off handling other affairs concerning the repairs.  Rude was down at the construction site where the sector 5 slums were, overseeing the rebuilding of homes.  Since the city wasn't floating anymore, Reeve decided that the slums would be turned into better living areas for the residents.  Elena was on the 50th floor of the Shinra building, debugging the main computer systems that ran the city.  She had been at it for six months now, and whenever she was in meetings she'd either fall asleep or yell at people because of the stress.  Reno was getting impatient and was about to call and complain when the door opened.

"Here you go Mr. Reno, your coffee."

"Took you long enough.  You know I can't function properly without my caffeine."  Reno took the mug from his secretary and watched her leave.  She was almost as tall as he was, and very beautiful.  She wore a tight skirt that reached the top of her knees and a white blouse that accentuated her chest.  She wore glasses that slid down the bridge of her nose and her eyes were a dark green.  She had dark red hair that was pulled back into a bun and full, red lips.  She walked to the door and closed it behind her, leaving Reno to admire her backside.  Damn, she's hot.  Reno thought.  He took a sip of his coffee and sighed with pleasure.  Reno walked to his desk and was about to grab another file when there was a knock at the door.  

"Come in."  

The door opened and a man in a white lab coat walked into his office.  He was tall and slim and walked with slow, sure steps.  He looked to be a man in his late twenties.  He had long black hair that reached his waist and flowed like water.  He wore thin glasses and around his slim nose.  His narrow eyes were a dark brown and he had high cheek bones.  He had a sharp chin and on his face was an expression of calm indifference.  

"What do you want Antium?"  

Reno said with a bit of annoyance.  Ever since the scientist came to work for Shinra five years ago, Reno never took a liking to him.  There was just something about this man Reno didn't like, something he couldn't put his finger on.  He didn't like how Antium had casually gained the trust of everyone else in Shinra so quickly.  That man had an easy going attitude towards people that won them over, but not him.  Reno had been distrustful of Antium and even tried to convince Reeve to fire him, but Reeve had taken a liking to the man because Antium had come up with a revolutionary invention that allowed them to produce twice the electricity from the solar energy the reactors absorbed.  Eying the scientist, he waiting for him to speak, but Antium merely stood there smiling.

"Well?" Reno spat out. "If you're not gonna @#$%in say anything than get out!"

"My my… don't we have a potty mouth.  I merely wanted to give you the final report containing the technical specifications of the solar panels."  Antium said with a slight smirk on his face.  He handed the report to Reno and strode to the door.  Opening the door, Antium turned back to Reno.

"It's _Professor Antium, not 'Antium'."_

"Get the hell out of my office!"  Reno said, rising out of his seat.  Antium turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.  

"Bastard…" Reno sat back down and opened Antium's report.

~~~~~~~

Professor Antium closed the door to Reno's office and made his way down the hall.  He passed Miss Gillian's desk and smiled at her as he passed.  They exchanged a look that vanished as fast as it happened.  Antium (I'm just gonna write his name while I talk about him) continued down the hall and entered the elevator.  He pressed the 30th floor button and waited for a few moments.  The elevator door opened and he walked into the hallway and down the long corridor to his office.  He entered and closed the door.  He walked to the far wall and pressed a button hidden behind a bookshelf.  A part of the wall behind his desk slid open and revealed a panel with a LCD screen and a number pad on it.  Antium walked to the panel, entered a code and put his hand on the LCD screen.  A light shined and scanned his hand.  Verifying his hand print, the wall next to the panel slid away revealing another elevator.  Antium entered the elevator and the wall slid back into place as the elevator descended.

It had been five years since Antium began his work for Shinra.  Thinking back, he chuckled.  It hadn't taken him long to win over all of the employees, except the Turk.  He charmed his way through the ladies and befriended the men.  All of them thought that he was a saint, only wishing to lend a hand in the rebuilding.  How wrong they were.  Antium's real reason was to find the data left behind by his older brother, Hojo.  He and Hojo weren't close; in fact they despised each other.  After Meteor, Antium learned of what his brother had researched and it intrigued him.  He would find his brother's research and make it his own.  He had Hojo's old office, and he scoured the walls of the office for many nights, looking for anything peculiar.  Finally he found the way to Hojo's secret lab but then he had to crack into his brother's database, which took a year.  A whole year Antium tried, a whole year Antium sat at the supercomputer typing in random pass codes.  Finally, right when he was about to give up, Antium had a crazy idea and typed his name into the computer, and it worked.  After he had access he laughed like a maniac for hours.  Antium became obsessed with Jenova and Sephiroth, reading all the information over and over.  He spent countless hours looking over every tidbit of information and making up theory after theory. 

The elevator stopped and brought Antium back to reality.  He stepped off the elevator and entered his lab.  Around the walls were computer monitors and other equipment.  On the right stood a large metal cylinder suspended by a frame of steel.  Antium walked over to the main computer on the far wall and logged on.

……*beep*…*beep*……

……

………Pass code:

"MONKEY-NUT"

…..

…………

……Confirmed……Welcome Professor…… 

Antium switched the controls to voice over and paced around the room.

"Access specimen files Alpha Beta 2D310 and Delta Omega 7J249"

……

………accessing…………files found…………opening……opened……Alpha Beta 2D310 "Jenova" and Delta Omega 7J249 "Sephiroth" open……

"Access personal file Antium34G85"

………accessing……opening……opened……Theoretical formulas "Cell Infusion", "Incubation", and "Organic Manipulation" open……

"Run cross analysis of specimens with theoretical formulas in personal file."

…………running cross analysis…………*beep*…………finished cross analysis……

"Run results through personal file Antium5H231"

………running……analyzing……finished……

"Results?" Antium asked the computer.

…………96% effective infusion of Jenova cells and 30% activation of cells within theoretical formulas' said boundaries………calculated side effects 70% ………

"Input 60% Mako radiation on subject in personal file Antium5H231"

………inputting………finished……

"Results?"

…………96% effective infusion of Jenova cells and 67% activation of cells within theoretical formulas' said boundaries and Mako radiation infusion………calculated side effects 33% ………

"Perfect. Hmm…computer; open personal file Hojo4J098" Antium said, staring at the screen.

………opening……opened……Hojo4J098 "Valentine" open……

"Find sub folder "Chaos" in personal file Hojo4J098"

………found……opening……opened……Information on the Chaos demon verified……

"Input Chaos demon information into results."

……inputting……finished……

"Results?"

………96% effective infusion and 96% activation of cells within theoretical formulas' said boundaries, Mako radiation infusion, and incorporation of Chaos demon………calculated side effects 15% ………

"YES!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!" A crazed gaze settled into Antium's eyes as he laughed.  "This is the closest I have been to success!"

Antium ran to another computer and pulled up the file about Vincent.  He read through the file and came across a statement made by Hojo.

_"Said specimen was not a failure, as I have claimed him to be to my fellow scientists. In fact, said specimen was a complete success.  Too much.  I have meddled too much in the specimen, giving him enormous power.  Said specimen will be able to transform into monsters created by the Mako injections fused together with his inner demons. I have found four of said "demons" and the last is the reason said specimen must be locked away.  "Chaos" is a demon of unlimited power, able to call forth demon hordes from other "dimensions", it seems.  One incident occurred when I forced the transformation of Chaos.  Chaos "opened" a gate and monsters that looked like shadows slowly began to emerge.  Luckily, I had soldiers and they dispensed of the demons at the cost of their lives.  I was able to bombard Chaos with a concentrated beam of Mako radiation which triggered the submergence of said beast into the darkest nether regions of the specimen's brain.  After the incident, the specimen was locked away."_

"That is interesting…" Antium pressed a button on his control panel and radioed his personnel.  "Kyosuke!  Kylia!  Get down here now!"

Antium paced around his lab once again, reviewing the newfound information in his mind.  He didn't have to wait long when the elevator came back down and a man and a woman walked in.  The man was tall and slim, wearing a black trench coat concealing his many weapons.  He preferred to use knives and daggers in combat, but he also had a dirk (it's a sword that's not as long as a standard sword but longer than a dagger) that had a strong, thin blade with six linked materia slots.  He had pitch-black hair that fell to his neck.  His hair was straight, but it stuck out in every direction.  His eyes were a sky blue and narrowed in menace.  He had a piercing in his left ear and he wore a small earring depicting a snarling wolf head.  He wore thick black gloves on each hand, and the gloves had five slots for materia, four of them linked on each hand.  He had on a thick gray turtleneck and baggy black pants tucked into his black boots.  The woman was a little bit shorter than the man.  She had taken her dark red hair down from the bun it was in earlier and she no longer wore the glasses.  Now her hair was tied near the end with a thin piece of blue fabric.  The woman had on a tight blue long sleeve shirt that hugged her skin and skin tight black pants.  She also wore a thin, black coat that stretched down to her upper thigh.  Around her waist was a belt with pockets for various things and strapped to the right side was a shotgun that extended down to her knee.  The weapon had four linked slots for materia.  She also wore thick navy blue gloves which were identical to her companions, except that they were blue instead of black.  

"Good evening, Professor Antium." Kyosuke said and bowed.  Kylia followed his example.

"Ah yes...my happy helpers, so good of you to join me tonight."

"We are always here to serve you, professor." said Kylia. She straightened up and was looking at Kyosuke with a twinkle in her eye. 

"Yes yes, I know.  There are important matters that must be attended to," Antium waited until he had their complete attention. "I need you to fight someone Kyosuke and gather information about him."  Antium walked over to a cabinet and opened the first drawer.  He rummaged around and found what he was looking for.  Antium picked up the object and walked back to the two.  

"Now, this is a digital transmitter.  I want you to put it on somewhere where it will be able to see your target.  The transmitter will send me information on the target and help me verify what I want to know.  This is your target."  Antium clicked on the mouse and a large picture of Vincent shone on nine monitors. 

"His name is Vincent Valentine.  Do not underestimate him. He might not look like much, but he is very strong.  Also, do not kill him.  He is valuable to me alive. He must survive the encounter.  I know how you are Kyosuke, _He must survive.  _Kylia, you will be his back up, but only intervene if it is necessary.  Do you both understand?"

"Yes, professor." They replied together.  

"Good.  He is currently in Wutai, attending their succession ceremony; go there.  Do not attack until President Reeve has come back.  We wouldn't want him spotting "Miss Gillian", would we?  I think not.  Now go, if you leave now you'll make it there by tomorrow.  President Reeve is scheduled to leave tomorrow, so remember, not until he's gone. "

Kyosuke and Kylia bowed and left, leaving Antium alone.  Antium laughed and walked over to a long, sliver box.  It was about nine and a half feet long.  Antium unlocked the box and opened it.  Inside was an eight foot long sword.  Antium took the Masamune out of the box and held the weapon.  It was surprisingly light for such a long blade.  Antium looked up and down its length and then put the sword back into the box, not wanting to swing it around, lest he destroy his lab.  He locked the box and headed toward the large metal cylinder.  He keyed a combination into the key pad on the cylinder and the metal plates slid away from each other, leaving a glass surface.  Antium smiled and touched the glass, looking at the battered and slashed figure suspended in fluid in front of him.

"Soon.  Soon my plan with be complete, Sephiroth." Antium laughed and looked at the dead form of Sephiroth one more time before he closed the metal plates around the glass.  

----------------------------------------------------

_Hey guys!  Sorry it took so long to update!  My bad!  I hope this chapter wasn't too boring.  I'd like to thank all my reviewers; I appreciate your comments and hope that I can live up to your expectations.  _

_I'd also like to ask everybody who reads my fic to please review, it only takes a few minutes and I'd appreciate all of your comments, even flames!_

_Well, the next chapter should be up soon!     _

^_^


	5. A Talk with Chaos

In the end, Hope is all you have – Gunslinger

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_Disclaimer- I do not own any part of Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters portrayed within. They are the sole property of Square Enix _

_Well, except for my characters like Wutari, Zell, Lily and anymore I might make up!_

_–I like my disclaimer-_

_------------------------------------------------------_(^_^)---------------------------------

A Talk with Chaos

The star's light upon which Vincent focused his gaze gradually waned away.  The moon sank slowly towards the horizon; its light eclipsed by the burning rays of the waking sun rising from the east (I think ^_^).  The moon surrendered without a fight, calmly retreating; letting the sun reign over the new born day.  The star winked at Vincent, saying its goodbye with the rest of the stars, promising him that it would be in the sky again when the sun slept.  Vincent waited until the sky was a somber blue.  Turning away, Vincent began his decent into the city far below. 

When he rounded the first bend, Vincent took out his Outsider.  His keen sense of hearing heard the sound of a pack of animals making their way toward him.  He noticed that they were trying very hard not to be noticed.  The pack moved swiftly, this way and that, stalking their prey.  They split up, half following, half picking up their pace moving in a wide circle through the mountains, to block his way.  Vincent grew tired of this after a bit, he didn't want to be bothered so early in the morning.  He stopped and waited, casually placing his gun on his shoulder.  He closed his eyes and listened.  The pack behind him stopped.  They inched forward ever so slowly, sniffing the air.  The wolf in the lead picked up its pace and broke into a run.  It howled a greeting and jumped, fangs bared.  Vincent turned around quickly and aimed.  A second later he pulled the trigger.  BANG!  The body of the dead wolf fell to the ground and rolled over to Vincent's feet, its head indistinguishable.  The other wolves in front and behind pounced, snarling.  Anger heated their barks and howls, sending them into a blood fury.  Vincent ran to the side and vaulted away from them.  He landed lightly on his feet and ran along the stone arm of one of the figures carved into the mountain.  The wolves followed him up the arm and towards the fingers of the massive hand.  Vincent picked up his pace and jumped off the hand's middle finger.  He flew through the air and landed on the opposite shoulder of the giant figure.  Vincent turned around and aimed at the pack of wolves.  He fired five shots in quick succession, each landing a fatal blow.  Before the rest of the pack landed Vincent was off again running at a breakneck pace back up one of the trails.  Turning a bend, Vincent saw that he was running straight for a wall, the wolves close behind.  Vincent narrowed his eyes and ran even faster.  He reached the wall in no time at all.  Three feet before he would collide, Vincent used his momentum and ran up the wall.  Using it for leverage he kicked away from the wall surface and back flipped, landing behind the pack of wolves.  Some of the wolves crashed into the wall and fell dead instantly, so intent on Vincent.  The others stopped in time and turned, only to be met by a barrage of lead.  Vincent blasted away with his Outsider, one bullet for one animal.  The smoke from the weapon cleared and Vincent looked emotionlessly at the carcasses of the pack.  Vincent lowered his weapon.  The animals met a quick end, each bullet passing through their skulls, killing them with little pain.  Vincent stood there, looking down at the ruined bodies of the proud wolf clan.  He counted the bodies, fourteen.  Vincent sighed, twenty more lives taken away by a monster, by him.  They were driven by their nature, nothing else.  Vincent's ears picked up the sound of a frantic cry, and the pitter patter of paws running toward him.  He turned and raised his Outsider again but stopped halfway.  A wolf cub ran past him to the pack.  He watched as it stopped inches before the death scene.  The little cub cried a small moan.  The cub cried again.  It walked over to one of the bodies and cried into the dead wolf's ear.  Undaunted, the cub placed its tiny paws on its mother's head, trying to push her awake.  When that didn't work, the cub went to its mother's side and pressed against her, trying to get her to her feet.  Vincent watched as it tried and tried; calling again and again for her to wake up.  The cub stopped, realization finally settling in its gaze.  The cub got up and sat on its hind legs and howled into the blue sky, letting the anguish pour out into the wind.  The wind took pity on the small cub and carried its sorrow away into the sky, sending the sound echoing through the mountains.  

'I have caused yet another to suffer.' Vincent thought. Vincent heard the distant laugh of Chaos in his head.  Vincent could witness the scene no more and turned away, walking down the trail.  His thoughts filled his head as he walked.  Thoughts pushed to the forefront by Chaos.  He relived the darkest moments in his life; the pain brought on by Hojo, the pain brought on by his failures, and the pain he gave to others.  Why had his life been so full of pain? Why was his life the way it was? How did he end up like this, a killer?  Questions raged into his head and he could only find one answer to them all. 'Because I am a coward.' 

_"YES VINCENT!!! YOU ARE A COWARD!!"_

Chaos' voice thundered into Vincent's mind, sending him reeling into the rock wall.  Vincent slid down the wall and clutched his head, unable to fight back.  Chaos' yell surprised Vincent, never before had the demon arisen so quickly and so forcefully.  The words thundered inside him, filling his whole being with pain.  Vincent screwed his eyes shut, his face locked in an expression of hurt, pain, and suffering.  

_"You are the weakest link!  Had you even a shred of courage, a speck of bravery, I would not be here!  But I am ecstatic that you don't!  It has been a joy tormenting you, and I find that you are about to die Vincent, and with your death your mind will be gone, leaving me to take over!"_

Chaos suddenly sent every emotion of pain Vincent had ever experienced into his minds eye.  Vincent screamed out in pain, tears coursing down his cheeks.  His breath caught in his throat and he struggled to breathe.  Vincent moved away from the wall and sat on his knees, still clutching his head.  Vincent tried to fight it, tried to fight back the pain, but Chaos drove them on harder, laughing as he did.

_"DIE, VINCENT!!! DIE! DIE!! DIE!!!!"_

Chaos' last words echoed through is head, making Vincent fell as if his head were going to explode.  Vincent doubled over and coughed out a pool of blood, turning the dirt in front of him into a small pool of red.  Vincent was lost in the pain, lost in the utter hopelessness it brought.  He opened his eyes and no longer saw the mountain trail, only darkness.  The darkness was not like the darkness of night, but the personification of pain.  The pain wrapped around him, drowning him in its embrace.  Vincent was about to lose hope and given in when a small white light pierced the darkness.  The light started out small, but grew in intensity, creating a shinning opening in it.  Inside the light was a young woman.  She was glowing with an ethereal white light, radiating from her being.  Vincent stared at the woman and saw that she was vaguely familiar to him.  She wore a garment made of the purest white silk.  Her copper colored hair fell down her shoulders and down her waist.  Her skin held a faint peach color, drowned out by the glow emanating from her body.  Her green eyes were staring straight into his, and he could see the hope and love inside those eyes.  She smiled and reached through the darkness, touching the side of his face.

"…Aeris…" Vincent managed to croak out.  The Cetra girl just smiled and nodded her head. 

_"Vincent.  Fight.  Fight it back.  It's not your time yet Vincent, not yet.  Fight the pain.  The planet has much more ahead for you Vincent.  The planet needs you, and so do our friends.  I'm here to help you Vincent. Together we can fight back Chaos, but I need you to fight too."_

"…I…I cannot…it is…too much…"

_"Yes you can Vincent, I know you can. You have a hidden strength you don't see because of your demons.  The world needs you Vincent. Yuffie needs you, now more than ever…"_

"…Yuffie…"

Chaos burst into his mind again, trying to make the Ancient stop.

_"DON'T LISTEN TO HER!!  DEATH IS YOUR ONLY OPTION!!!  YUFFIE AND THE REST DO NOT CARE FOR YOU!!!  THE ANCIENT DOES NOT CARE FOR YOU!!!! NO ONE DOES!!!! YOUR DEATH WILL MEAN NOTHING TO THEM!!!!  GIVE IN TO THE PAIN AND DIE, VINCENT!!!!"_

"Never!!!"  Vincent yelled.  Aeris smiled and came closer to him.  She placed both hands on his cheeks and brought him close.  Like a mother would kiss her child, Aeris kissed Vincent's forehead.  Suddenly the light that was shinning around her began to shine around Vincent, bathing him in a cascade of warmth.  The light grew and surrounded them both. The light exploded and tore through the dark blanket of pain.  The darkness howled and disintegrated away.  The light overwhelmed Chaos and the demon flew away, back into the abyss of Vincent's mind.  Vincent fell on his knees, Aeris falling with him.  He opened his eyes and found himself with Aeris sitting in a field of flowers.  The blue sky was filled with clouds and the wind blew across the field.  Vincent looked around at his new surroundings and got to his feet, helping Aeris up as he did so.  

"Where are we?" Vincent asked, looking at Aeris.

"We are in your mind, Vincent."

"Thank you Aeris.  You have saved me from the clutches of that demon." Aeris smiled and looked away. Her smile faded and her eyes filled with tears.

"Not totally Vincent.  He is still in your mind, as are all the rest.  Chaos will try again, and I've only been permitted to help you this once." Aeris turned back to Vincent and gave him a quick hug.  She drew back and wiped away a tear.  "You must be strong Vincent.  The fate of the Planet rests in your hands this time." 

Aeris walked away from Vincent and turned back.  She began to float away.  Her form was beginning to shimmer and fade away too.  Vincent started toward her.

"Aeris!  What do you mean the fate of the Planet rests with me?"

"I'm sorry Vincent.  I can't tell you.  Have hope Vincent.  Have hope.  You have the rest of Avalanche to help you.  Remember Vincent, Yuffie needs you now more than ever, and you need her."

"…Yuffie…"

Aeris' form floated higher and higher away.  She was almost gone when Vincent called to her again.

"Aeris!  I do not understand!  Tell me!"

Aeris smiled down at him and disappeared.  Vincent looked at the sky, frantically searching for any sight of her.  Suddenly the wind picked up around him.  It swirled around and around him creating a mini tornado.  The wind brushed his ears and Vincent heard Aeris' voice one last time.

_"In the end, Hope is all you have gunslinger."_

--------        

Vincent stirred.  He felt something small and hot brush across his face, leaving a trial of wetness.  Vincent opened his eyes and stared into the small cub's eyes.  The cub drew back as Vincent sat up.  He no longer felt any pain.  Strange enough, Vincent felt stronger; like a soothing breeze had come over him and healed him of all pain.  _Aeris.__  Vincent stood and looked at the small ball of fur caressing his leg.  Vincent thought about leaving the cub, but decided against it.  He would look after the cub until it could fend for itself.  Vincent closed his eyes and looked inside himself, checking the barriers in front of the demons.  They were all secure, and Chaos' barrier was stronger than usual.  _

Vincent sighed and walked down the trail.  The cub sat in silence watching him go.  Vincent turned around and saw the cub sitting.

"…Come…"

The cub barked happily and clamored after him.  Vincent started to walk again and looked up into the sky.

"…Thank you Aeris…thank you…"

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_Hello Hello!  This chapter really has nothing to do with the overall story but I felt that Vincent had to have an encounter with Chaos.  Also, in my fic Aeris isn't going to be resurrected, but I wanted her to play a part in it, even if it's just a small part.  _

_Next chapter will be up shortly. (maybe)  Da Da Dum!!!!!!  Vincent vs. Kyosuke!!! Who's gonna win? _

_Review and I'll tell ya in the next chapter!!! _

_^_^_

_-also, thanks again to the people who've reviewed my fic! I'll give you proper thanks in the next chapter!_


	6. Vincent vs Kyosuke

In the end, Hope is all you have – Gunslinger

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_Disclaimer- I do not own any part of Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters portrayed within. They are the sole property of Square Enix _

_Well, except for my characters like Wutari, Zell, Lily and anymore I might make up!_

_–I like my disclaimer-_

_------------------------------------------------------_(^_^)---------------------------------

Vincent vs. Kyosuke

It was around midday when Vincent made it down to Wutai.  The cub ran ahead of him into the city, amazed at the sites.  The cub stopped and turned back around, it didn't want to be too far from its new 'mother'.  Vincent kept his slow, easy walk as he swept past the townspeople.  He had decided to call the cub Breeze.  Vincent looked at the small bundle of fur and a small smile formed on his face.  Breeze was chasing his tail in a circle, infatuated by it.  Breeze ran around and around until he fell, dizzy.  Shaking his head, Breeze looked up at Vincent, a smile plastered on his muzzle.  They had a staring contest.  It went on for about five minutes, Breeze curiously memorizing Vincent's face, Vincent silently musing about the amount of energy Breeze had in his small form.  Vincent broke the stare and continued through the street, motioning for Breeze to follow.  

Vincent rounded a corner and headed for Yuffie's mansion.  He thought about all that had happened that morning; the fight with the wolves, his 'talk' with Chaos, and his brief meeting with Aeris.  _Aeris_.  She had been the heart of Avalanche during their adventures.  Before she died she was the comforting shoulder, the voice of reason, and the mediator of arguments.  No one wanted to displease her, mainly because she was just too kind to everyone, putting their feelings before her own.  She had even been kind to him.  She was the first to approach him in friendship, the first to extent her hand.  Though he was lost in his torment and didn't return his hand, she never gave up.  Aeris was the heart, and with her death, the party had lost it.  Everyone grieved her lose and Vincent was one of the hardest hit.  He blamed himself for her death.  He wasn't strong enough to protect her, to keep her out of harms way.  Vincent thought of her as a brother would, protective and silent.  Why had someone so caring and good have to die like that?  Why had the purest out of all of them have to die?  Life wasn't fair, he mused.  The people filled with sin lived, while the innocent died a tragic death.  Her life was taken away in an instant.  The Masamune slid effortlessly through her body, all the way to the hilt.  The sword ripped her life out of her.  And Sephiroth, that bastard, smiled and pulled the blade out of her abdomen slowly.  It seemed as if he wanted them to feel the hopelessness in it all.  It was like he wanted them to know with certainty that their precious flower girl would never open her eyes again.  Vincent remembered that she fell to the floor graciously; it was as if time itself slowed down, morning the loss of one so pure.  Vincent watched as she fell and he saw that she had a smile on her face.  That smile would enter his thoughts for many days after her death.  How could anyone smile?  How could she smile?  When it was revealed that Aeris had prayed for Holy, Vincent understood.  Aeris had given her life to protect the ones she loved.  She had given her life to protect the planet.  She was so brave, so strong.  Maybe she even knew that she wouldn't get out alive, and still she did it.  If only he had that kind of strength, then maybe he could have stopped the threat of Sephiroth many years before.  

Vincent was awakened from his thoughts by the barks of Breeze.  Breeze was barking at a trail of ants.  He was jumping out and down, wagging his tail, and thoroughly enjoying his new attraction.  Breeze looked up at Vincent and barked again, seemingly asking if Vincent wanted to play too.  Vincent just walked away but turned his head and motioned for Breeze to follow.  The cub looked at Vincent then looked at the ants.  Breeze sat there for a moment trying to make up his mind.  Decided, he ran after Vincent.

Vincent gazed at the mansion towering over him.  He was at the front steps, looking at the door.  He wondered if he should go in or not.  The words of Aeris floated into his mind, '_You must be strong Vincent.  The fate of the planet rests in your hands this time.'  _Vincent was still confused by what she meant.  How could the fate of the planet rest with him?  Why did she believe so?  '_Have hope Vincent.  Have hope.  You have the rest of Avalanche to help you.  Remember Vincent, Yuffie needs you now more than ever, and you need her._'  Did she really mean that?  Did Aeris really mean that?  Did Yuffie really need him?  Questions ran through his mind, and he couldn't find an answer.  Vincent thought about Yuffie's touch, how she held him in her arms that night.  It felt so good to be touched by her.  Normally Vincent shied away from people.  Normally he hated being touched, but now he found himself longing to be touched by her again.  It didn't matter how or why, but he longed for her be near him, to hold him, to share his embrace.  He thought about last night, when she found him on the mountain.  He saw the sadness in her face when she walked up the trail, and he saw her face light up at the sight of him, standing there.  He wondered if she loved him, if she really needed him, but no matter how hard he tried to find a good answer, his mind drifted back to the only conclusion he could come up with.  'No one can love a demon.  No one could ever love me, what I've become.'  Vincent closed his eyes and sighed.  Aeris was wrong.

Vincent's ears twitched and he heard the sounds of laughter and happiness coming from the west courtyard adjacent to the mansion.  Vincent turned and walked toward the sounds, and they became clearer the closer he got.  Vincent could make out people talking and laughing, yelling encouragement to somebody.

"Alright Brin!  That's how ya @#$%'n do it!  Keep'em on his toes!"

"Come on dad!  Brin's beating you up!  Watch out! He's comin' after your left side!  Come on! Cut his head off!"

"Zell! Watch your mouth!"

"Sorry mom…"

Vincent turned the corner of the mansion and was treated to an amusing sight.  Cloud and Cid's son, Brin, were sparing in the center of the courtyard.  Brin was fighting with a spear twice his height.  The spear was made of springy bamboo and the spear head looked to be made of iron.  The spear head was about a foot long, thin, and very sharp.  Cloud was fighting with his son's katana.  The katana blade was three and a half feet long, slim, and made of a shimmering metal substance.  Cloud was dodging and parrying, but wasn't on the offensive.  He didn't want to hurt Brin; he just wanted to see what Cid had taught him so far.  Brin was sweating with exertion, making his blue shirt stick to his small, skinny frame.  

Tifa was sitting at the right of the pair along with Cid, Shera and Barret.  They sat under a tree, shielding them from the sun.  Barret wasn't concentrating on the fight, instead his back was turned slightly away watching over Marlene and Lily, who were sitting in the sun a little ways away, playing with their Wutainian dolls.  Barret mentally reminded himself to thank Tifa for buying one for Marlene, because he was flat broke.  Zell was standing next to his mom, yelling encouragement to his father.  Reeve had left that morning, apologizing profusely for having to leave.  Yuffie was watching the battle from the left with Nanaki, talking to him about Brin.

"Nanaki, you see how Brin's use'n his momentum?"

"Yes, I do.  Cid has taught him well.  I think we can expect him to become a great fighter."

"Yeah. And also a cussing loudmouth, a pilot, and a smoker."

Nanaki chuckled, "I believe you are also correct in your assumption.  It is amazing that he is only five years of age.  Makes me wonder how my pups will fare."

"Don't worry 'bout it Red…I'm sure they'll be great."  Yuffie said, not taking her eyes off of the pair in the center.  Nanaki tilted his head and looked at Yuffie.  He silently mused; she had matured greatly in the seven years they were apart.  No longer did he see the loud, annoying materia thief.  Instead he saw a young woman in her prime, a woman with many responsibilities and duties to fulfill.  Nanaki also saw loneliness in her eyes, something that she covered up very well.  Most importantly though Nanaki saw a fiery will burn within her being.  A will similar to the one he saw radiating through the stone body of his father, Seto.  Even though his father was long dead, when he would go up to the cliff and stand with his father and watch the sun rise, he could feel the passion that burned within the stone, and that gave him a greater sense of duty.  Finished with his musings, Nanaki turned his good eye back to the figures fighting in the courtyard.  As he was looking at them, Nanaki saw Vincent from the corner of his eye, staring not at the battle, but at the ninja girl sitting next to him.  Nanaki smiled; maybe Vincent could help Yuffie with the loneliness.  

Cloud back flipped to dodge a low sweep of Brin's spear.  He landed ten feet away and resumed his defensive stance.  Brin let out a war cry and charged.  Brin effortlessly moved his hands in a quick pattern, making his spear dart forward in every direction, attacking the air as he moved ever closer to Cloud.  His spear was very light, only three pounds which helped him use it effectively.  Cloud read the attack and defended every blow, stepping back with the charge.  Brin was getting frustrated; everything that he tried, Cloud was able to block it.  He knew that if Cloud wanted to, Cloud could turn the tables on him and he wouldn't be able to do anything.  Brin feinted with a face thrust and instead turned on his heel, bent his back, and sent his spear swinging in a circle around his chest, parallel to the floor.  Cloud quickly blocked it but the momentum of the attack made him step back a little.  Cloud was getting very amused at the skill Brin possessed.  Though it wasn't nearly enough to beat him, Brin was very talented for his age.  The backlash that occurred when the weapons met made Brin's spear swing back in the opposite direction and he used that to add power to a forward thrust he sent straight towards Cloud's chest.  To his surprise he missed completely, Cloud had effortlessly side stepped to the right and with a smile on his face; Cloud used the side of the katana and hit Brin on the butt, making him fly forward.  Brin landed in a heap on the floor. He sat up dazed, and looked around.  Cloud was standing next to him and extended his hand.  Brin smiled weakly and took it.  Cloud heaved him up and patted his head.

"Wow, Brin.  You did great!  You almost had me for a second there."  Cloud said, smiling.

"Thanks, Mr. Strife."

"Call me Cloud."

"Alright."

They walked over to where Cid and the others were.  Cloud sat down next to Tifa and Zell jumped into his lap while Brin went and sat next to his dad.  

"Ya did good son, ya did good."  Cid said as he playfully punched Brin on the shoulder. 

"I coulda done better…damn."  Brin hung his head, staring at the floor.

"Brin! Watch your language." Shera said with a stern look on her face.  Brin looked up.

"…Sorry…"

"Nothin' ta be sorry for son!  @#$%!!  See, I'm not sorry I said that!"

"You will be Cid Highwind."  Shera gave her husband a death glare.  Cid tried to shrink in size as he lit a cigarette.  Brin howled with laughter, and soon the whole company joined in.  Zell has cracking up hysterically and Cloud had to put his hand over his mouth to quiet him down.

"Mrhmm!! …"  Zell pried with father's hand away from his mouth, "Alright alright! I'll shut up."  Tifa licked her finger and wiped away a smudge of dirt on Zell's face, much to his embarrassment.  "Mom!  Stop! Stop it!"  He tried to squirm away but his father had him in a death grip, holding him in place.  Brin was laughing again, banging his hand on the floor.

"Hey! Shut it Brin!" 

"Why? It's funny! Ha ha ha!  Come on Zell, let's go play!"

Cloud let his son go and Zell and Brin ran across the courtyard, play fighting.  Their parents fondly looked after them as they ran and laughed.  Suddenly they stopped playing and stood still, fear etched on their faces.  Cloud and the others noticed this and got to their feet.  Zell and Brin ran back to their parents yelling at the top of their lungs.  Their yells had gotten the attention of Yuffie and Nanaki who came over to investigate.  Barret called Marlene and Lily over to them, and soon the whole party was congregated under the tree.  

"Mom! Dad! There's a scary looking man over there!" Zell said, pointing back.

"Yeah! And the man's got glowing red eyeballs!" Brin added, breathless.

The adults sighed in relief, they knew that description.  Sure enough, a second later Vincent came walking towards them, cape slightly flowing in the wind, exposing his golden claw.  Lily pressed her body against Tifa's leg, scared out of her wits.  Tifa reached her hand down and patted Lily's head.

"Don't worry Lily; he's one of our friends."

"Really?"

"Yep.  His name's Vincent."

Tifa looked back up and watched as Vincent slowly came closer.  She remembered how everyone was afraid of him before and with good reason.  He was an enigma, and it didn't help him that he had a claw for an arm and blood red eyes.  She felt a slight shudder run down her spine and she berated herself.  He was their friend and had proven himself time and time again, but he was so silent.  She remembered the events of yesterday and glanced at Yuffie.  She was starring at him, like Tifa herself used to stare at Cloud.  Yuffie liked him a lot, and Tifa decided then and there to get them together.  

Vincent wasn't surprised when the children saw him and ran, in fact he expected it.  When people encountered him they either ran away or they just stood in place looking at the floor, unable to meet his gaze.  It had taken Avalanche a long time to adjust to his presence and Vincent didn't really care.  He walked toward them with Breeze following closely behind him.  Vincent took his time, like he usually did, as he never liked to rush things.  When he finally got to the tree, Cloud spoke.

"Hey Vincent.  Where've you been?"

"…In the mountains…"  Vincent stated.  Brin and Zell had gotten over their initial fear and were now staring, mouths open, at Vincent.  Vincent shifted his raptor gaze to Zell then Brin.  He studied their features and then turned to Cid.

"…Your son fights very well Cid…I was surprised by his ability…"

"Thanks Vince…He gets it all from his pops."

"…Indeed…"  Vincent said with no emotion, making the group nervous.  Seeing that he was affecting them in this way, Vincent was about to turn when Breeze popped his head from behind Vincent's boot.

"…Bark??..."

The parties attention turned to the cub and they stared, surprised.

"That yo' dog, Vincent?"  Barret said.

"That is not a dog, Barret, but a wolf cub." Nanaki chimed in.

"Oh!! That's soooo cute!!"  Yuffie exclaimed, pointing at Breeze, who was now rubbing against Vincent's boot.

"What's his name?"  Marlene asked in a small voice.  Vincent looked at her for a moment before answering.

"…His name is Breeze…"

"How'd you get a wolf cub?" Shera asked politely.

"…I killed his pack in self defense…and he was the only one left…"

They all stared wide eyed at Vincent's statement, not because of the words, but because of how he said it, with no emotion.  It was like it didn't matter to him at all, and that unnerved them.  Vincent noticed their silence and decided to break it.

"…I have taken it upon myself to look after the cub until he can fend for himself…"

"That's nice of you."  Tifa said.  Lily inched forward and looked at Vincent. 

"Can… can I… can I pet him?"

"…you may…"  Lily's face lit up and she bent down and petted Breeze who barked in pleasure.  Lily laughed and Marlene, Zell, and Brin came closer and started petted Breeze also.  Breeze barked and jumped around, thoroughly enjoying all the attention.  

"Can we play with him Vince?" Brin asked, his confidence coming back to him.  Vincent merely nodded his head and the boy whooped.  

"…Breeze…" the cub looked up, "…be nice…" 

"Bark!!"  Breeze scampered away, the children hot on his trail, laughing and giggling.  The adults laughed and sat back down, all except Vincent.  

"That's the first time I ever seen you express emotion!"  Barret said and everybody nodded in agreement.  Vincent nodded his head and turned around, walking back the way he came.  Yuffie was about to say something but stopped, got up, and walked in the opposite direction.  Nanaki noticed her distress and followed her retreating figure.  Tifa could stand this no more and got up and ran after Vincent.  Cloud watched Tifa leave and had a confused look on his face.

"What's going on?"

"The hell if I know…" Cid shrugged and lit another cigarette. 

Tifa ran and stopped in front of Vincent.  Vincent pause in his step and looked down at the martial artist, curious to why she stopped him.  They were standing in the middle of the courtyard where Cloud and Brin where a few moments ago.  He eyed her intently, waiting for her to speak.

"So Vincent how was the trip here?"

"………"

"Okay, how do you like Wutai?"

"…It is satisfactory…"

"That's good to hear.  Um…will you answer my next question without silence?"

"…It depends…what you ask of me…"

"Please?  Pretty please?"  Tifa clasped her hands together in mock begging and pouted her eyes.  Vincent raised an eyebrow and wondered if she did the same thing to Cloud.  Sighing, he nodded his head.

"Great!!  Okay then…so…how do you feel about a certain ninja girl?"

"………" Vincent was surprised that Tifa would ask such a thing.  More importantly, he wondered how she even found out about the whole situation.  

"Hey Vincent! No fair!  You said you wouldn't answer with silence!"

"…so I did…"

"Well?"

"…it is of no importance how I regard Yuffie…I am a demon…"

"No you're not!  Stop saying things like that!  It's important to Yuffie!"

"…I cannot love her, Tifa.  I only bring pain…it is my curse…"

"Stop that this instant!  She wants you Vincent…she needs you…now, more than ever."

"…be that as it may…I am no good for her…I will only bring pain, as I did yesterday…"

"Yuffie was only hurt cause you didn't say anything to her about how beautiful she looked!"

"…this conversation is pointless, Tifa.  I have decided.  My presence will only bring further suffering to her heart…"

"Don't you see she's hurt already?  Only you have the power to take that away!  Can't you see?"

"………"

"Fine…if that's the way you feel than I feel sorry for you.  You're throwing away a chance at happiness…"

"………"  Vincent stared at Tifa, face emotionless, though inside he felt the truth in her words.  Tifa stood there waiting for his answer but it never came.  Finally, she huffed and turned back and walked to the others, leaving him there to think about it.  Vincent watched her go and looked to the heavens.

"…I am too weak for her…"

~~~~~~

"Yuffie!"  Nanaki trotted to where Yuffie was.  She had her back turned and was standing next to a railing that ran the perimeter of the courtyard.  She was staring out into the distance, looking at the small stream that ran a curved path through the earth.  Nanaki nuzzled her hand, trying to get her attention.  Yuffie looked down and smiled a small smile, tears coursing down her cheeks.

"Yuffie? What is wrong?"

"Nothing Red…*sniff*…nothing at all."

"Really? Hmm…I wonder why I do not cry when nothing is wrong."  Nanaki looked up at Yuffie.  Her smile gradually turned into a grin.  She turned away again and stared off into the trees.

"Nanaki, have you ever felt so much for someone that you hurt when they're not there with you?"

"Yes…I felt that way towards Natsuya.  Do you feel that way towards someone?"

"Yes…I love him so much…but I'm afraid to tell him…I'm afraid of what he'll do…he's not exactly open with his feelings."

"Ah…I agree.  Vincent never was the type to express emotions."  Yuffie jerked her head at stared at Nanaki. 

"How'd you know it was him?"

"I have my ways." Nanaki grinned.  Yuffie wiped away her tears and sighed.

"I don't know what to do; Red…I have no clue…damn."

"It has been said, 'It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all'."

"Who ever made that up is one dumb cookie."

"Maybe so, but you cannot deny the fact that there is truth in the statement.  Believe in yourself Yuffie.  If you love him, than tell him so.  If you don't, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Yuffie bent down and hugged Nanaki tightly, running her hands through his mane.

"Thanks."

"Anytime."  Yuffie released him and they started back to the others.  Yuffie looked around and saw that Vincent was standing alone in the center of the courtyard, gazing up at the sky.  Nanaki sniffed the breeze and slowed his pace.  He caught a scent in the air that was alien to him.  He didn't know what it was, but he could sense malice in it.  Yuffie turned around and looked at him curiously. 

"You okay?"  Yuffie asked.  Nanaki sniffed the air again but the scent disappeared.  Nanaki shrugged it off and continued on.

"I am fine, Yuffie."  They reached their comrades and stopped.  Tifa walked over to Yuffie and touched her shoulders.  She gave her a knowing look that said 'I know what you're going through. Don't worry, it'll all be okay.'  Yuffie returned a smile.  Tifa walked back over to Cloud and Yuffie looked past the pair.  In the distance, a figure was making his way towards them.  

"Hey guys…who's that?"  The companions looked in the direction she was pointing and shrugged.

"Don't have a damn clue, Yuffie.  He looks suspicious though." Cid said.  They watched as he approached.  The man was wearing all black and had dark black hair.  He stopped fifteen feet away from Vincent and smiled.

"Excuse me…but are you Vincent Valentine?" Vincent looked down and eyed the stranger.

"…yes…"  The man's smile grew into a grin and his eyes flashed.

"My name is Kyosuke."  Kyosuke bowed and paused.  He stayed like that for a few moments, much to the bewilderment of Cloud and the others.  Then, without warning, Kyosuke charged at Vincent with astonishing speed.  The others gasped as Kyosuke slammed into Vincent.   Vincent dug his feet into the ground for support and was forced back a few yards.  They stared at each other.  Blue eyes met red.  Vincent had his clawed hand clasped around Kyosuke's right hand, which held a dagger inches away from his neck.  Vincent halfway pulled his Death Penalty but Kyosuke's hand was clamped around his, holding it in place.  The children saw what was happening and ran to their parents, Breeze not far behind.

Smiling, Kyosuke dashed backward away from Vincent with the same speed as before.  Vincent's Death Penalty was aimed and firing in less than a second, blasting away at his attacker.  Kyosuke avoided the shots narrowly and laughed.  Cloud and the others drew there weapons and dashed after Vincent's attacker.

"Stop…"  Green light flashed around Kyosuke and shot away from him.  The green light burst into separate beams and pierced Cloud and others, even the children.  Cloud felt his limbs stiffening and stop completely.  He felt like a statue, stuck in a battle cry.  He tried with all his might to move, but he couldn't.  'Damn!  This guy has to be really strong to stop all of us!'  Cloud gritted his teeth, willing his body to move to no avail.  Tifa was trying to will herself into action, but it wasn't working.  Barret was stuck in a running man position and Cid was stuck looking mad as hell.  Nanaki was stopped mid jump and fell to the floor facing the battle.  Yuffie was stuck in an expression of shock.  Vincent glanced back at his companions stuck in the spell. In that narrow amount of time, Kyosuke dashed straight at Vincent and kicked him full in the chest.  Vincent was sent flying by the force of the blow.  He landed on his back and rolled into a standing position.

"This fight is between you and me only." Kyosuke stated, still smiling.  He slowly drew his dirk and flipped the dagger in his other hand.  Vincent spread his feet into an offensive stance and cocked his Death Penalty.  Cloud and the others could only watch as Kyosuke dashed in again.  Vincent pulled the trigger and shot at Kyosuke, who dodged it increasing his speed.  He swiped at Vincent's head but Vincent ducked and sidestepped.  Kyosuke swung his body around and slashed at Vincent.  Vincent read his move and ran inside Kyosuke's attack.  Vincent made his claw into a fist and slammed it into Kyosuke's gut, knocking the wind from him.  The strength of the attack sent Kyosuke into the air.  Vincent followed him and sent his knee into Kyosuke's stomach, elbowed him in the back and quickly shot him in the same spot sending Kyosuke crashing back to the ground.  Kyosuke landed on his hands and spun around pulling another dagger.  With tremendous speed Kyosuke stood erect and slammed his dagger up to the hilt into Vincent's right shoulder.  Vincent grunted in pain but grabbed Kyosuke's arm and used his downward momentum to fling Kyosuke over his wounded shoulder.  Kyosuke was sent flying into the air again but he flipped his body around and cast Fire 3.  The magic flashed around him and disappeared.  Kyosuke landed lightly as a wall of flame engulfed Vincent.  Vincent cried out in pain and as the fire seared through him.  The flames died and Vincent turned to face Kyosuke.  To his surprise, Kyosuke had already crossed the distance and slammed his fist into Vincent's gut and rained a succession of rapid blows to his midsection, ending with a flip kick that sent Vincent into the air.  Vincent fell with a loud thud and rolled back onto his feet.  He was bleeding a river from the dagger wound in his shoulder. The dagger was still embedded in his body, willing the blood to flow.  Vincent ran toward Kyosuke and blasted away with his Death Penalty.  Kyosuke dodged out of the way but was grazed in the arm by a shot.  

"Freeze!" Vincent yelled.  The contain materia gleamed and the air around Kyosuke dropped in temperature.  Kyosuke, realizing the danger, tried to dash away but it was too late.  The air around him condensed and froze in the blink of an eye, sending a shock of pain though his body. The spell faded and Kyosuke dropped to the floor, coughing blood.  Vincent took the offensive and kneed Kyosuke in the face.  Kyosuke's body followed his head into the air.  Vincent grabbed hold of Kyosuke's foot and spun around once and used the gained speed to slam Kyosuke into the ground.  WHAM!! Kyosuke's body bounced up and he flipped around, clocking Vincent in the face with his free foot.  The force of the blow staggered Vincent back and he lost his grip on Kyosuke.  Kyosuke back flipped while pulling several knives from his belt, throwing him into Vincent's body.  Thud! Thud! Thud!  The knives found their mark and Vincent gasped in pain.  

"Vincent!!!"  Yuffie screamed his name in her mind.  She couldn't believe what was happening.  One minute everything was peaceful, the next this.  Tears were streaming down her cheeks.  It hurt so much to see Vincent in pain like that.  She knew he was tiring from loss of blood.  'Damn!  I have to help him!!  Please, Leviathan! Help me!'  Yuffie strained for the umpteenth time against the spell.  Finally it shattered around her and she was able to move again.  Yuffie wasted no time at all.  She let loose her Conformer with all her strength at Kyosuke's head.  The weapon flew through the air, sending a high pitched whirling sound resonating all about them.  BANG!!! Yuffie stared dumbfounded as her conformer was deflected.  It flew though the air and embedded itself into a tree.  Yuffie looked around and saw a woman jumping toward them from a rooftop, her shotgun smoking at the barrel.  Yuffie yelled a string of curses and dashed toward the woman, throwing and handful of shurikens at the new threat.  Kylia dodged around the projectiles but to her dismay, a shuriken knocked her shotgun out of her hand.  She landed and was knocked off her feet by Yuffie, who clothes lined her.  Kylia was knocked into a wall and she bounced off.  She landed in a crouched position and ran towards Yuffie. They met with a flurry of punches and kicks.  Yuffie blocked a head shot and countered with a quick jab combination, hitting Kylia square in the face.  Kylia took the punishment and slammed her knee into Yuffie's exposed stomach.  Yuffie's upper body lurched forward and Kylia bent down and threw Yuffie over her into the air.  Yuffie hit the ground hard but kicked out her foot, hitting Kylia in the stomach.

Meanwhile…

Vincent staggered and glared at his opponent.  Kyosuke was breathing heavily, blood running down his chin.  Kyosuke smile his demented smile and launched himself at Vincent.  Instead of waiting, Vincent launched himself too.  They met in the air.  Kyosuke saw a hole in Vincent's defense and plunged a long dagger into Vincent's stomach.  Vincent opened his mouth in pain and a spray of blood flew out.  Kyosuke was grinning madly, believing he'd won.  One look into Vincent's eyes told him he was wrong.  Vincent had left the hole in his defense on purpose, hoping that Kyosuke would take the chance.  In the blink of an eye Vincent brought up his Death Penalty and punched the tip of the barrel into Kyosuke's gut.  BLAM!!!  The power of Vincent's Death Penalty parted the two combatants.  They fell to the floor with a thud.  Both of them back rolled and faced each other.  Vincent was in a world of pain.  Kyosuke's dagger was still hilt deep in his stomach.  It hurt to breathe, and Vincent was quickly losing consciousness.  Kyosuke was bleeding freely from the gaping hole in his stomach.  Never before had he fought such an adversary, and he was thrilled beyond sanity.   

"Let us end this…" Kyosuke said with difficulty.  He closed his eyes and a growl escaped his throat.  He looked back up and his growl grew even louder.  No longer were his eyes blue.  They had now turned a glowing yellow.  Kyosuke's body began to glow.  His face elongated and fangs sprouted out of his snout.  His clothes shimmered and faded away as his body enlarged and grew fur.  Muscles bulged and stretched, a tail poked out.  Kyosuke grew to twice his size and height.  Fully transformed, he howled and bared his fangs.  Sticking out of his fur on his shoulder, the digital transmitter trained on Vincent.

Yuffie and Kylia continued their fight until Kyosuke howled.  Yuffie turned to look and Kylia punched her across the face, knocking her away.  Yuffie got up in a flash put Kylia had retreated and stood far behind Kyosuke.  Yuffie ran to her friends and frantically searched her pouch for her Heal materia.  She began to heal her friends from the Stop spell and froze when she heard a roar escape Vincent's mouth.  

_"Release me Vincent!  You cannot win against it!  I can!" _

Vincent lowered his body and unlocked the barrier in his mind.  He felt the demon take over and he gave himself over to it totally, knowing that if he didn't then his friends would be crushed by the wolf creature.  Vincent felt himself gradually waning, feeling his control over his body slipping.  Vincent jerked his head up and stared at the wolf thing.  Vincent's blood red eyes clouded over and were replaced by black, empty pupils.  His skin shimmered and turned a midnight black.  His hair fused together into a single horn and his ears elongated.  Huge wings burst from his back, unfurling as far as they could.  Vincent's body grew in size as his muscles bulged.  Razor sharp claws grew and extended.  Chaos flung back its head and roared into the darkening sky.  The sky filled with clouds and cast a dreary silence over Wutai.  Chaos laughed and stared at the creature in front of him.  

_"Fool.  Do you really believe you have a chance against me?"_

Kyosuke howled and flung himself on Chaos.  Kyosuke knocked Chaos to the ground and clawed away at the demon.  Chaos roared in pain and swiped at the creature.  Kyosuke dodged and sank his teeth into Chaos' neck.  Grabbing Kyosuke, Chaos ripped him off and threw him into a wall of the mansion.  Kyosuke hit the wall with a bone crushing force and launched himself from it, leaving a crater in his wake.  Chaos flew into the sky and circled around.  Finding an opening Chaos dived in and grabbed Kyosuke by the throat.  Chaos landed and began crushing the wolf's neck.  The wolf gasped for breathe and its eyes suddenly glowed brilliantly.  Fire erupted around Kyosuke and spread outward in a sphere.  Chaos roared in agony and flung the wolf away.  Chaos' charred skin smoked as it roared again.  The wolf landed on his feet and glared.  Chaos focused its energy and performed the Stan Slam.  A giant skull formed around the wolf.  Kyosuke looked around bewildered.  Suddenly the skull exploded in a fury of dark energy.  The wolf's body shook in pain and surprise.  The skull vanished leaving a very bloody wolf.

"Kyosuke! We have to go!"  Kylia yelled from the sidelines.  Kyosuke the wolf growled a death threat then quickly picked up Kylia and ran into the woods.  Yuffie had finished freeing Cloud and the others.  They stood in silent fear of the Chaos demon, which was still looking at the woods.  The children were huddled around Tifa and Shera, crying.  Tifa silently led them to the opposite side of the courtyard, the farthest away from Chaos they could get.  Barret had his missing score trained on the demon and Cid was calling the Highwind for aerial assistance.  Nanaki was coiled and steady to strike.  Cloud held his Ultima Weapon in front of him and steeled himself.  Yuffie was staring at the demon that was once Vincent, a tear running down her cheeks.  She had seen Chaos only once before, and after that battle, the party was forced to fight the demon.  When Chaos was finally subdued the party had experienced massive damage and had to rest for days. 

Chaos turned and faced the companions.  A deep rumbling sound came out of Chaos' mouth as the demon walked slowly over.  It looked at each of the pathetic humans in turn and stared at the last figure, Yuffie.

_"You…you are the one the weakling is in love with."_

Yuffie heard the demon and her breath caught in her throat.  

_"You must die.  The weakling will see your death through my eyes and his mind will die from the loss.  Then I will be free to reign unchallenged over this Planet. Vincent will die…but not before he sees his friends ripped apart by me! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!"_

Cloud and the others readied themselves for battle, but Yuffie was shaking with uncontrollable anger.  Her eyes gazed over and a brilliant purple radiance enveloped her.  She gritted her teeth at the stored energy yearning to be released inside her.  She focused her gaze on the demon looming over her. 

"I love Vincent! And there's no way a dumb ass like you is gonna kill him!!" Yuffie's purple eyes glowed and her body began to shine as the purple energy swirled around her.

"I'll never let you have him! ALL CREATION!!!" 

The pent up energy erupted in a huge ball of energy in front of her.  Yuffie yelled at the top of her lungs as she directed the energy at the chest of the demon.  The massive energy ball discharged and cascaded a concentrated beam of pure iridescent light straight toward the demon.  It slammed into Chaos with a deafening roar, filling the air with the sound of a raging tornado.  The beam threw Chaos back against the mansion wall and pounded the stuffing out of it.  Chaos roared in pain.  The beam dimmed and dissipated, leaving the scene of the battle in an eerie silence.  Lying on the floor under the crater in the mansion wall was the body of Vincent.  He laid face up, blood flowing from his wounds.  The daggers and other knives were still embedded in him and Vincent was on the brink of death.  Yuffie staggered back, exhausted.  She looked around and saw Vincent lying prostrate on the ground.  The rest of Avalanche was already running towards him.

"Vincent!!"  Yuffie ran as fast as she could, closing the distance quickly. She got to him first.  She bent over him and cradled his head in her arms.  Yuffie cried and rocked back and forth, clutching Vincent close to her body.  Vincent eyes fluttered and he painfully lifted his hand to her cheek. 

"…Yu…Yuffie…" 

"Vinnie! You're gonna be okay, Vinnie.  You're gonna be okay."  Yuffie said, her tears running off her chin and dripping on Vincent's face.

"…Yuff..ie…"

Cloud barked out orders to the rest of them and they followed the orders to the letter, knowing that Vincent's life hung at the brink.  Yuffie moved her cheek against Vincent's hand, anguish filling her entire being. Vincent's hand fell away from her face and lifelessly hit the bloodied ground.

----------------------------------------------------------  

_Hello hello!  This chapter was really long wasn't it?  Took me a whole day! _

_First, I'd like to thank my reviewers:_

_To Mayzon- you were the first to review my fic and I want to say thank you times 100!!_

_To Chaotic pink Chocobo- thank you for reviewing! And I love your pen name!_

_To Natsu-Aoki- your review inspired me to try my best!_

_To Shadow Reaver- I do believe that you've reviewed the most! THANK YOU!_

_To Rinoa Lockheart- thanks for the encouragement._

_To Piccolo999-thank you for your complements! Much appreciated!_

_To Josh- glad you liked my fic!_

_To Dragon Scales 1-thank you for demanding me to update! If not for you, I'd still be on ch.4!_

_To MOFO- thanks!_

_To nobody- thanks for your complements!_

_To Darknightdestiny- thank you for your words of encouragement and compliments!_

_To Jenza1202- glad you liked Breeze!_

_To CJ-Chan- thank you ever so much for pointing out the mistake in ch.3.  I think I fixed it though…_

_Again, Thanks for all the reviews! I hope all will continue to review and to the new readers I hope you guys will review too!_

_Well the next chapter should be up soon!  _

_Till then….._


	7. Through the Woods

In the end, Hope is all you have – Gunslinger

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_Disclaimer- I do not own any part of Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters portrayed within. They are the sole property of Square Enix. _

_Well, except for my characters like Wutari, Zell, Lily and anymore I might make up!_

_And if I did own them, then I wouldn't be writing this would I?_

_–I like my disclaimer-_

_------------------------------------------------------_(^_^)---------------------------------

Through the Woods

The woodlands surrounding the city of Wutai were bursting with the sounds of animals.  The singing of birds echoed through the trees.  The scurry of squirrels and other rodents made sounds in the underbrush.  The faint sound of a river could be heard, making its way deeper into the forest.  The sounds of nature mingled together, creating a symphony of life.  The harmonies of sounds echoing through the forest never rested but were ever changing, scaling the octaves of music only few appreciated.  Suddenly one by one the different melodies abruptly stopped.  The birds stopped their songs and sat quietly in their trees.  The small animals ran back to their homes, hiding away.  Only the mighty river continued its song, a song it sang for countless years.  A fox stopped dead in its tracks.  Its ears straightened as it listened for anything out of the ordinary.  The fox heard a faint sound from far away, coming closer and closer.  It sounded as if the trees were crying out in pain and the ground groaning in protest.  Small pops and cracks from dried twigs and branches and the rustle of leaves mixed in with the other sounds.  The fox listened intently a moment more before it sprang away as fast as it could.  A few seconds later a huge werewolf ran through the spot the fox was standing at.  The werewolf ran fast as the wind through the underbrush unchallenged with a woman holding on behind him.

Kylia held on for dear life.  She closed her eyes and pressed her head against Kyosuke, burying her face in his fur.  Tree limbs cracked and tore as the huge wolf ran through the woods.  Suddenly Kyosuke jumped over a fallen tree.  Kylia let out a surprised gasp and almost lost her hold.  She scrambled in a panic to close her grip around the werewolf's neck, gripping handfuls of fur.   Kylia's felt something wet flow over her hand. Looking over Kyosuke's shoulder, she stifled a scream.  Blood was flowing freely from a wound above her hand.  The blood flow was like a raging river, cascading down Kyosuke's chest.  The werewolf was panting, his tongue sticking out to the side.  His eyes were no longer shining brightly. Instead was a dimming glow of yellow, rapidly fading.  'Oh God, please let him be alright.'  Kylia prayed.  Tears were streaming down her eyes and cries of anguish were escaping her mouth.  Kyosuke's ears twitched at the sounds.  He let a small growl escape his lips, trying to calm the woman clinging to him.  

The werewolf jumped over another dead tree and landed hard on his feet, running faster and faster.  His keen senses were telling him they were miles away from the battle, but he wanted Kylia to be as far from those people as he could get her.  He was too preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't notice the large tree root exposed above the earth.  Kyosuke's foot made contact with the root and he fell headfirst into a clearing.  Kylia was thrown violently over his head and landed in a heap in the middle of the clearing.  She tried to stand up but gasped when a shock of pain raced up her leg.  Glancing down she could see that the fall had broken her leg.  It bone looked to have broken at her shin and she could see a bump pushing up her pant leg.  Kylia concentrated and cast Cure 3.  The magic swirled around her and flowed to her hand.  She put her hand above the wound and focused the magic in that part of her body only.  The green magic flowed into her leg.  She watched in amazement as the bone reset itself and the ripped flesh mended back in place.  A few moments later the injury was gone, leaving only a dull pain in its wake.  She ran her hand over the healed injury and winced at the touch. The Cure spell had worked wonders, but it couldn't fix everything.  Satisfied, she looked up and found Kyosuke at the edge of the clearing next to a large tree, slowly reverting back to his human form.  She got up and limped her way to his side.  When she got there Kyosuke was human again.  She flipped him over and gasped.  Dried blood was caked everywhere on his body and clothes, and the open wounds where adding extra layers of blood to them.  Kylia quickly looked over him, trying to find the most severe wound.  Her eyes darted to the gaping hole in his stomach.  The hole was spewing blood, like a volcano.  Kylia put her hands on top of the wound and pressed down hard, trying her best to stop the blood flow.  Kyosuke grunted in pain and couched blood.  Kylia concentrated again and cast Cure 3.  The magic flowed instantly into the wound, slowly repairing the damage.  She could feel the walls of the hole slowly closing, the flesh healing meticulously slow.  The spell began to fade and Kylia cast it again.  The wound closed completely and the spell worked its way outward, healing the other wounds in its path.  Kylia cast Cure 3 again and again.  Tears were flowing down her face on their own accord and she was helplessly crying, shaking with despair. 

Kyosuke wasn't moving; he was still as a statue.  '_His body must be shocked by the injuries and loss of blood. He'll be alright.  He'll be alright.'  Kylia was tiring now, the effort of healing him and her own wounds were stabbing at her endurance.  She fought it off, panic and determination adding to her stamina.  She looked over him again and to her satisfaction his blood had stopped flowing out of him.  She smiled in relief and fell onto his chest from exhaustion.  Her smile faded and was replaced with a look of pure terror.  '_He's not breathing._'  Kylia sprang up and panic finally set in.  She looked around wildly, hoping to find somebody, anybody, to help.  To her dismay all she saw was trees and dead leaves.  Tears exploded from her eyes again and she crawled over to Kyosuke's head.  She picked him up and cradled his head in her arms, hugging him to herself and rocking back and forth.  Her cries echoed into the late afternoon sky as she pressed her cheek to his forehead.  '__He can't be dead! He can't! No! You can't die!' _

"Kyosuke, you can't die! Please, don't leave me!  Don't leave me…"  

"…Hee hee hee…" Kyosuke faintly muttered.  He pushed against her hands and got up, wincing as he did so.  Kylia let go of him and stared in shock.  Kyosuke leaned on the tree behind him, shook his head lightly and looked at her, a smirk on his face.  Kylia's eyes widened and she sat still as a statue.  Realization kicked in and she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms fiercely around his neck and crying onto his chest.  Wracking sobs of joy were flowing freely out of her as she buried her head further into him.  Kyosuke wrapped his arms around her and gently placed his cheek on top of her hair.  

"Hush…its okay love…its okay…"  Kyosuke said, stroking her hair.  His words of comfort only made her cry even harder and cling to him even more.  Kyosuke inhaled her scent and sighed.  She smelled like a mix of wild berries and dirt.  It wasn't a bad smell either, he thought.  Kyosuke held Kylia, rocking back and forth slowly.  He let her cry on him.  He let her express her hurt and despair.  The sun had set and after awhile she stopped and lay quiet on him.  Kyosuke was beginning to assume that she fell asleep, but periodically she would gasp for air, making her body jerk upright before going back to its original position.  Kylia moved her body closer to his and removed her hands from around his neck, bringing them to her body.  She curled her legs closer to her and leaned her weight against him.  Kyosuke adjusted his body to accommodate the extra weight and wrapped his arms around her, one resting around her waist and one gently caressing her arm.  Kylia moaned with pleasure at his touch and snuggled against him, letting his warmth envelope her.  

Kyosuke looked down and sniffed.  He could smell blood, a lot of blood.  It was a mixed aroma of his and hers.  Realizing that she probably spent all her magic on him, he cast Cure 3 on her.  She inhaled sharply as the magic flowed through her, mending her wounds and relaxing her muscles.  She closed her eyes and silently enjoyed the sensation.  The magic faded and she didn't hurt anymore.  The hurt was instead replaced by fatigue.  The feeling ran through her body and she sighed.  Cure was a great spell against injuries, but it did next to nothing to exhaustion.  No magic at all could expel fatigue; it was just something people had to go through.  It seemed that only sleep could cure it and Kylia's eyes were beginning to droop.  She snapped her eyes open, willing herself to stay awake.  Kyosuke noticed this and planted a kiss softly on her forehead.

"You can sleep, Kylia.  I'll stay awake."

"No.  I don't want to sleep.  I can't.  What if I do and you do and you don't wake up tomorrow?"

"Don't worry about that."

"You almost died, Kyosuke."

"No I didn't.  I was just playing with you.  Ha Ha.  I wanted to see how you'd react."

Kylia pushed off of him and looked him straight in the face, a look of fury on hers.  Kyosuke grinned, waiting for her to laugh.  The look in her eyes told him otherwise.  SMACK!!!  Kylia's hand connected his Kyosuke's face.  His head jerked to the side from the force of the blow.  He spun his face around quickly, fury etched in his features.  The fury melted away instantly when he saw her face.  She was crying.  Tears were flowing down her face in two streams, meeting at her chin and becoming a waterfall.  Pain and hurt were dancing in her eyes.  Her brow was crunched up and her mouth was quivering.  Suddenly she began banging her hands on his chest and yelling at him between sobs.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO ME!?!  WHY!?! *sob* -pound- YOU SCARED ME TO DEATH!!! -pound- WHY!?! *sob* NEVER –pound- EVER –pound- *sob* DO –pound- THAT *sob* –pound- TO –pound- ME –pound- AGAIN!!!! –pound-……(crying hysterically)"

Kyosuke grabbed her hands to stop her from hitting him anymore.  '_What have I done?  Damn!! This is bad.'  She collapsed on him, all her strength gone.  She sobbed into his shirt a second time, her back jerking up and down from the gasping of breaths.  Kyosuke gently let her hands go and placed them around her.  He then slowly drew her in while she grabbed his shirt between her fingers.  Kylia looked up into his eyes and saw the concern and guilt he felt for what he did.  _

"I'm sorry." He whispered to her.  He was about to speak again when she placed a finger on his mouth.  Slowly she dropped her hand, caressing his lips with her finger as she did so.  Slowly Kylia inched her face closer to his, passion burning in her pupils.  She stopped centimeters away from his lips and their eyes connected.  Her passion ignited his and they were both caught up in the feeling.  It seemed as if time stopped, leaving the two people locked in the moment.  They stayed that way for a few minutes, silently conveying all the feelings they had for each other. 

"I love you." Kylia whispered.

"I love you too."

Kylia leaned in and softly brushed her lips against his. She lost herself in his touch as their kiss became stronger.  Kyosuke pressed her body tight against his and they kissed a deep kiss, both not wanting to stop for fear that if they did, their worlds would never experience the bliss they shared in that moment.  They kissed again and again like there was no tomorrow.  Kyosuke slowly pulled off her overcoat and ran his fingers through her hair.  She gasped and moaned at his touch, running her hands over his chest toward his shoulders.  She slipped his trench coat down his back, running her hands down his arms.  Their hands clasped together and Kylia directed them behind her back as Kyosuke planted kisses along her neck.  

They were lost in their passion, lost in their love for one another.  Time meant nothing to them.  Nothing mattered to them.  The only thing in their minds was the longing they had for each other. They would awaken in each others arms the next morning, each silently thanking the heavens for blessing them with their soul mate.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

_Hello hello!  Sorry for the long wait!  College is getting a lot harder than I expected it'd be!_

_Thanks to all my reviewers!  Your reviews are my life energy!!!_

_Sorry this chapter is shorter than what I usually post; I promise the next one will be huge!  I wanted this chapter to focus on Kyosuke and Kylia.  I didn't want them to just be the emotionless bad guy people. I wanted them to feel emotions, to feel love, fear, happiness, and all that jazz.  _

_NEXT CHAPTER!!!! Da Da Dummmm!!!!!!!  What's gonna happen to Vincent?  Will our hero's be able to save him?  Is he gonna die or live? _

_I don't know right now…_

_Next chapter should be up in about a week or so, depending on whether or not I'm going home for the weekend.  _

_PLEASE REVIEW!!! I must know what you think!  Please please!  Thank you in advance!_


	8. Life or Death

In the end, Hope is all you have – Gunslinger

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_Disclaimer- I do not own any part of Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters portrayed within. They are the sole property of Square Enix. _

_Well, except for my characters like Wutari, Zell, Lily and anymore I might make up!_

_And if I did own them, then I wouldn't be writing this would I?_

_–I like my disclaimer-_

_------------------------------------------------------_(^_^)---------------------------------

Life or Death

Yuffie sat by herself asleep in a darkened corner.  Her limbs were pressed tightly against her body, her head resting on her forearms.  Tear stains ran down her face, her hair a disheveled mess.  She was pale and breathing very erratically, remnants from the hours of worry and crying.  Vincent was unconscious in the other room across from her, fighting for his life.  Yuffie stirred fitfully, trying to wake herself from the nightmare she was trapped in.

~~~~~

Yuffie looked around at her surroundings.  Gone were the familiar walls of her home.  Instead of the lavish walls and paintings was an impenetrable darkness.  She walked around cautiously, not knowing where she was going.  Indeed, she wasn't sure whether or not she was going forward or not.  She wasn't standing on anything remotely looking like the ground, darkness was all around her.  It felt stifling and oppressive; like it was pressing against her, trying to trap her.  Yuffie called out in panic but to her surprise, she couldn't hear anything come out of her mouth.  She knew she was screaming at the top of her lungs.  She could feel the air rush out of her throat, but she couldn't hear it.  Yuffie started to run franticly, eyes wide with panic.  In the distance Yuffie could see something other than the darkness.  It looked like a TV screen, but she couldn't discern the scene inside it.  It was hazy around the edges, like the darkness was trying to swallow it up.  Yuffie ran harder trying to get to the scene before it disappeared.  She ran blindly towards it.  She ran though the screen at a break neck pace, and the oppressive darkness was left behind.  Yuffie stopped and bent down, gasping for breath, relieved to be away from that hell.  She got her bearings and straightened up, keeping her eyes closed as she stretched.  Sighing, Yuffie dropped her hands and opened her eyes.  She gasped at the sight before her.

Yuffie was standing in the middle of a derelict graveyard.  The sky was grey with clouds that swirled together.  Thunder boomed in the distance.  Bright flashes of lightning lanced downward to the earth.  She began to walk down a narrow, dirt trail, leading deeper into the graveyard.  Rain began to fall, slowly at first, and then falling in a torrent of huge drops of water.  The wind blew from the south, howling and sending the rain in her direction, splashing it against her lean body.  Yuffie squinted her eyes and raised her hands to shield them from the rain, driving forward into the storm.  Something was driving her forward, a feeling.  Something was in the graveyard that she needed to find, something that she knew she desperately needed to find.  A sudden roar of thunder boomed overhead, making her jump in fright and pull out her Conformer.  She stared around confused, brandishing her weapon in her fist.  She was scared to the bone and being alone only made the fear settle even more.  A flash of lightning illuminated her surroundings and she saw a large tombstone on a hill in front of her.  It was lavishly carved.  Angels and vines were carved around the perimeter of the stone, and a huge cross was etched down the center.  She drew nearer to the tombstone, entranced.  Soon she found herself standing right in front of it.  Conformer in hand, Yuffie bent down and read the inscription.

**Here lies Vincent Valentine**

**1939-2003**

**_Vincent lived a tortured life_**

**_Torn between two lives_**

**_Torn between two loves_**

**_Destroyed by four demons_**

**_Destroyed by hate_**

**_Destroyed by loss_**

**_Destroyed by anger_**

**_Destroyed by two women_**

**_One, a scientist_**

**_The other a ninja_**

**_He never knew peace_**

**_Never knew the life that he so deserved_**

**_He was a hero who was never acknowledged_**

**_He was a man_**

**_A man with passion_**

**_He will be missed by us all_**

**_For his life was short and sad_**

**_All because of the woman he could not live without_**

**_Because she was his destruction_**

**_His ultimate mistake in life;_**

**_Yuffie Kisaragi_**

****

Yuffie backed away from the tombstone with a shriek that ripped through the air.  Tears fell down her face as a wail of anguish escaped her mouth as her fell to her knees.  

"No!!  I didn't kill him!! I love him!! I LOVE HIM!!!!!"

How could she have killed him?  How could they write that?  She loved him.  She loved him with all her being, with everything that she was.  It was a lie, a mistake!  It wasn't her fault!  Yuffie read the inscription over and over.  No matter what she tried to do, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the tombstone.  

"…I…I killed you…It's my fault…it's all my fault…" 

Yuffie cried harder, letting out her sorrow, all the while muttering under her breath.  It was her fault.  It was all her fault.  She hit him with her Limit Break.  She pounded him into submission.  She was the reason.  Understanding flooded her consciousness, causing racking sobs to flow from her body.  Yuffie slowly crawled to the tombstone and touched the inscription with a shaking hand.  She silently traced her fingers along the engraving, a single tear, her last tear, falling down her face.  She laid the side of her face on the cold, smooth surface, eyes half closed.

Suddenly a decayed hand sprang out of the ground and grabbed her ankle.  Yuffie screamed in surprise and tried to kick herself free.  Yuffie felt bile rise up her throat and it took all her determination not to vomit.  She swiftly kicked the skeletal hand with her other foot, knocking her free.  She quickly backed away from the hand that was frantically clawing away at the earth and got to her feet.  She pulled out her Conformer and got into a defensive stance.  

The ground around the decayed hand shuddered and broke, rising up.  A skull slowly emerged from the ground, patches of dark black hair hanging limply from it.  A shuddering exhale of air came out of its rotted mouth.  Yuffie gasped in fright when she locked eyes with it.  Cold, blood red eyes stared back at her, stared into her soul.  Yuffie couldn't breathe, couldn't move.  A gleaming metal hand sprang up from the ground and slammed down in front of it, clawing deeply into the earth.  

"…_Yuffie…"_

Yuffie, eyes wide with fright, dropped her Conformer.  It hit the ground with a clang and lay silent.  It couldn't be.  It just couldn't.  The figure pulled itself out of the ground, never leaving its gaze fixed upon her.  It rolled into a crouched position and slowly stood, arching its back and letting it hands fall to its sides.  Its blood red eyes blazed with fire as it cocked it head to the side.  Another shuttering breath escaped its mouth.

"...._Yuffie…"_

The figure stepped forward, its shoulders hunched.  Yuffie tried to move away, tried to cry out.  But she couldn't do anything.  Fear rose to a crescendo in the pit of her stomach, she stared with wild eyes and uttered one word.

"Vincent?"

"…_You killed me Yuffie…"_

"Yes…it's all my fault…my fault." The tears flowed anew down her cheeks.  Hope flowed away from her, flowing with the tears.  Even if she wanted to fight she knew it wouldn't matter.  The decayed Vincent made its way to her slowly, purposefully, raising its arms out to grasp her.  His clothes were tattered and dirty, gaping holes exposed bones still coated with blackened, rotted flesh.  Vincent suddenly lunged at her and grabbed her shoulders.  Yuffie screamed a scream filled with fear, pain and loss.  The dead Vincent clenched its fingers, digging them into her flesh, drawing blood.  He jerked her close, so close their faces were inches apart.  Yuffie cried in pain and felt a wave of nausea rake over her body when she breathed in his smell.  Her body tensed and then fell limply, standing on her feet only because of the hands gripping her shoulders.  Her head fell to the side, her eyes half closed in weariness.  Vincent shook her and dug his nails deeper.  Yuffie stifled a gasp of pain.

"…_Look at me!!!..."_

Yuffie painfully raised her head a little and locked eyes with him.  The burning glare of his eyes burned into her, filling her body with an aching pain.  

"…Please…it hurts…Vincent…it hurts…"

"…_Does it really hurt, Yuffie? You do not know pain…pain the likes of which I have endured…you know nothing about pain!!!..."_

"…Vincent…I lov…"

"…_Do not say it!!! Do not lie!!! You, like everyone else, loathe my existence!!!  I am a demon!!! And it is about time for me to act like one…"_

Yuffie cried out in pain as Vincent sank his teeth in her neck.  Blinding stars of pain danced in her eyes, disorienting her.  She felt the pull of her blood draining away into his mouth; she felt the raw anger in his touch.  She felt the frustration and sorrow pour into her body, taking away all rational thought.  Was this what Vincent felt?  Was this Vincent's life?  Pain?  Anger?  Sorrow?  She felt her life force dwindling.  At least she could him her life.  All she wanted now was for him to be happy, to be free.  She didn't matter.  If this was what he wanted, then so be it.  Her face broke into a small smile, a smile for him.  She was going to die, but she couldn't think of a better way to go.  Darkness closed in on her, numbing the pain, numbing everything.  She breathed a final breath…

~~~~~

"Yuffie!!"

Yuffie woke with a start and found herself in the familiar surroundings of her home.   Her vision was blurry, but she could make out the walls and colors surrounding her.  Looking forward her eyes locked on a pair of soft, brown eyes, filled with concern.

"…Tifa?..."

Tifa smiled a small smile and sighed in relief.  She let her hands drop to her sides from where they were placed on Yuffie's shoulders and stood up.  

"Hey there girl…I was worried about you." 

"Why?" Yuffie asked, thoroughly confused.

"Why?  You were crying and muttering in your sleep, and you were pale as death."

Yuffie blinked and rested her head on the wall.  Suddenly the dream came back in full force, knocking the wind out of her.  She arched her back and hunched over, trying to draw breath.  The feeling of pain washed over her, coupled with the sorrow and anger.  They seemed to be focusing on the throat, effectively choking her.  Flashes of the dream seared through her mind; the lightning, the darkness, the tombstone, the words.  _Vincent.  Dead and decayed Vincent, his eyes blazing with fury, directed at her.  Yuffie felt a pain in her neck.  It hurt so much.  In all her years of fighting, she had never felt anything remotely close to this pain.  Her hand instinctively clutched her neck, trying to massage the pain away.  It didn't work.  Yuffie's forehead hit the ground with a dull thud.  She was drowning and she couldn't get out.  _

Tifa watched in wide eyed horror as Yuffie arched her back in pain.  Tifa heard her gasping franticly for breath.  Tifa looked on as Yuffie's face split into a mask of pain as she grasped her neck with her hand.  Tifa was shocked beyond all reason.  She finally snapped out of it when Yuffie collapsed on the floor.  Tifa ran to Yuffie's side and pulled Yuffie against her.  

"Yuffie!!!"  Tifa cried, shaking her friend with all her strength.  Yuffie didn't move.  "Yuffie!!!"  Tifa screamed this time, into Yuffie's ear.  Yuffie's body shook as she inhaled deeply.  Tifa smiled in relief, a tear spilling down her cheek.  Yuffie opened her eyes and her breathing became erratic as she frantically looked around.  Tifa felt a pang of pity holding Yuffie in her arms.  Tifa softly touched her friend's cheek as she said soothing words to her.  Tifa rocked her back and forth slowly.  Gradually Yuffie's breathing returned to normal.  

"…Tifa?..." Yuffie rasped.

"Shh…I'm right here Yuffie.  Are you all right?"

"Yea…I think…"  Yuffie tried to lift her head, but winced at the pain and laid her head on Tifa's shoulder.  "Damn!!  That hurt!"

"What happened, Yuffie?"  Yuffie shook her head and didn't look up.  Tifa heard her stifle a sob.  

"What happened?" Tifa whispered.

Yuffie hesitated for a second before she broke down and told Tifa everything about the dream.  She left nothing out, but told everything in startling detail.  Tifa listened with rapt attention to the story unfolding, picturing everything in her mind.  Tifa felt like she was there, like she was seeing everything Yuffie saw.  It was amazing how Yuffie described every detail.  If it wasn't for the unpleasantness of it all, Tifa might have enjoyed it.  After the story, Tifa and Yuffie stayed there on the floor.  Tifa absentmindedly stroked Yuffie's hair as she stared at the opposite wall, thinking about what Yuffie told her.  It wasn't fair.  It wasn't fair at all.  Yuffie shouldn't have to go though something like this.  All of them went though so much pain and heartache.  There was so much pain in all of their lives.  And now, after all that happened with Sephiroth, after seven years of healing, Yuffie and Vincent had to suffer again.  It was so unfair to the two of them.  Tifa had a great life now.  She had a loving husband who went out of his way to see that she was happy.  She had two wonderful children with Cloud, and she cherished them.  She had a nice home, a great job.  Cid was happy too.  He finally married Shera, which was a great thing.  She was his balance in life.  He was the hothead and she was the voice of reason.  There son was also a blessing.  Tifa would sometimes catch Cid looking fondly at his son.  She could see the pride that radiated out of Cid's smile whenever he watched Brin figure out something for himself.  Barret was content with life.  He had his daughter, Marlene who was turning into a very beautiful teen.  Tifa suspected that Barret and Elmrya had something between them, but they both were too proud to do anything about it.  Reeve was making a difference in Midgar, and the people loved him.  They really loved him.  Reeve had a child's determination about the rebuilding of the great city.  Many said that it couldn't be done, but he proved them wrong.  

Aeris.  She was the embodiment of goodness.  Even she was happy during the journey, and she knew what she was doing when she sacrificed herself for them all.  Tifa would stay up late at night, just thinking about the flower girl.  They were like sisters during the time they were together.  Tifa was jealous for a time, jealous of Aeris and Cloud, of what they had and jealous that it was Aeris and not herself.  During the journey Tifa resigned herself to just being the friend that everyone counted one.  If she couldn't have Cloud the way she wanted to, then she'd be damned if she wasn't at least his friend.  After Aeris died, Tifa was a wreck, she hated herself.  How could she have been so selfish?  Aeris was always giving to others, and she never, ever, expected anything back.  Cloud, or any man, would have been a fool not to fall in love with Aeris.  Tifa cried inside, while putting on a happy face on the outside.  After Sephiroth fell, Tifa stayed with Cloud.  The first few months together were stressing, because he hardly talked at all.  Then, one day, cloud asked her if she wanted to go for a Chocobo ride.  After that, they got closer and closer, until she couldn't stand to be away from him, but she couldn't stand to be this close without touching him either.  Tifa remembered the night she told him that she was leaving.

~~~~~

_Tifa walked up the stairs of the little home she shared with Cloud.  They lived in Gongaga, near the border of the small town.  It was the best place for the both of them to heal from everything they went through.  Tifa walked of the stairs slowly, because she knew what she had to do, but she didn't want to.  She loved Cloud.  She loved him so much it hurt to look at him, knowing that he'd never love her in return.  She paused outside his door and took a steadying breath.  She raised her hand and knocked three times, like she always did.  She heard him get up from his desk and walk towards the door._

_Cloud opened the door and stood in the doorway dressed only in pants and a pair of sandals.  Tifa couldn't stop herself from staring at his lean and muscled chest.  She took him all in, memorizing the way his muscles were perfectly placed on his body.  She had seen him like this before on countless occasions, but it was different tonight, because this was the last time she expected to see him again._

_"Tifa?"___

_"…Hey Cloud…"_

_"Is everything alright?  You look worried."  Cloud searched her eyes, looking for any signs of worry.  Tifa stared at her feet and slowly shook her head at his words.  "Come on in and tell me what's bothering you."_

_Tifa didn't look up as she stepped into his room.  She lifted her head to look around at her surroundings while cloud wordlessly closed the door behind them.  Tifa gazed at his bed, which was placed along the wall the farthest away from the door.  Beside the bed, propped up against the wall, was his Ultima weapon.  It gleamed in the firelight.  It was a beautiful sword, and very deadly.  With one swing Cloud could cleave a man in two.  But Cloud hadn't used it for a while now.  Next to his sword was the small desk that he made.  He would sit there for hours thinking, or writing.  She noticed that the desk was bare save for a single cup of coffee, still full to the brim, and probably cold as ice now. _

_Cloud crossed the room and silently placed his hand on her shoulders.  She jumped at his touch.  It felt so good to be near him.  Tifa could feel him coming across the room, but she didn't expect him to do that.  He slowly ran his hands down her shoulders to her arms and turned her around.  Tifa bent her head down so she wouldn't have to look into his eyes.  She saw him move his right hand from her arm and gently raise her chin with it.  There eyes locked and Tifa fought back the tears that where threatening to fall.  _

_"What's wrong?" Cloud whispered, his voice laced with concern._

_"Nothing…it's just…"  Tifa couldn't finish the sentence.  He was staring at her so intently, she felt like falling into his arms.  No.  She couldn't do that.  She had to be strong for the both of them.  Tifa took a step back and took her eyes away from his.  She crossed her arms and turned her head to the side, looking away from him.  She had to tell him now or she'd never have the nerve again._

_"Tifa what's wro…"_

_"I'm leaving."  Tifa whispered, but loud enough for Cloud to hear.  A tear escaped its cage and slid down her face._

_"Wh-What?"  Tifa turned her head back to face him, tears falling freely down her face now.  _

_"I said I'm leaving, Cloud."_

_"Why?" Cloud asked, disbelief ringing in his voice._

_"Because…I…I have to."_

_"But why?__  Did I do something wrong?"_

_Tifa shook her head and stifled a sob that was begging to come out._

_"…no… you didn't do anything…"_

_"Then what is it? Please, tell me…"_

_"I can't!!"  Tifa was freely crying now, her shoulders slumped, her hands hiding her face.  Cloud walked over to hug her but she backed away._

_"No Cloud!  I can't handle it right now…I can't."_

_"What? You're not making sense Tifa!  What can't you handle?!? I don't understand!  What…"_

_"YOU!!!__ I can't handle you!! Being touched by you!!  Please…" _

_"Tifa…what…I…I don't get it…"_

_"Don't you see!!! It hurts so much when you touch me!!! I hurt so much inside!!!"_

_"BUT WHY!!!__ Tifa…"_

_"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, THAT'S WHY!!!  It hurts because I love you and you only think of me as a friend!  I love you so much it hurts, Cloud!!  When you touch me in any way, you make me ache…"  _

_Tifa couldn't talk anymore, she just told him that she loved him.  She told Cloud that she loved him.  She covered her face again and cried like she never cried before.  She didn't hear him cross the room.  She didn't see the look on his face.  She only acknowledged his presence when he wrapped his arms around her, crushing her to him.  Tifa's arms found their way around his neck and she sobbed into his shoulder.  Cloud rested his head in the crook of her neck as she cried.  Time didn't matter then.  Tifa didn't know how long they stayed like that, in each others arms.  She didn't want to move, and she sighed when he slowly pulled away far enough to see her face._

_"Tifa?__  Tifa, look at me."  Tifa slowly raised her head and locked eyes with him._

_"Tifa…I love you too.  I have for a long time now."  Tifa's face slowly broke into a smile._

_"You…you do?"  Tifa asked, half believing and half not._

_Tifa wasn't prepared at all when Cloud leaned in and kissed her.  Tifa was in shock for a moment before she kissed him back.  His lips were so soft and warm.  The contact of his lips in hers sent a fire racing down her body.  She gasped against his mouth at the feeling.  It was electrifying; it was everything she dreamed of and more, so much more.  She felt his tongue run along her bottom lip, pleading for entrance.  She wasted no time in opening her mouth.  Cloud's tongue slid into her mouth, exploring.  Tifa did the same with hers, exploring and deepening the kiss.  _

_Tifa's hands lost themselves in Cloud's silky, spikey hair.  It was so soft and smooth, she could do that forever.  Cloud ran his hands up and down her back, caressing her.  Tifa moaned into his mouth.  She felt him smile and kiss her deeper.  Tifa felt like she was flying, it was the most wonderful feeling she had ever experienced.  Tifa moaned in disappointment when Cloud lifted his mouth from hers.  She was about to complain when she felt his mouth on her neck, tracing light kisses up the side of her neck to her ear.  She moaned against him when he found a sensitive spot under her ear lobe.  Instead of moving from that spot Cloud stayed there, while his hands continued their explorations of her body._

_"Cloud…please…I need you…"_

_"I need you too; I need you so much…" Cloud whispered into her ear as he effortlessly lifted her off her feet and led her to the bed._

~~~~~

Tifa closed her eyes as the memory faded from her mind.  Tifa's mind came back to the problem at hand.  

Yuffie and Vincent.  

Yuffie was such a good person.  Before, she had been a handful, having all that boundless energy running through her.  Now she was a very beautiful young woman.  A woman with responsibilities that she fulfilled with all that she had.  Why did this have to happen to her?  What did she do to deserve this?  Nothing.  She did nothing at all.  She deserved to be happy.  Tifa remembered the look in Yuffie's eyes when Vincent was fighting that man named Kyosuke.  Tifa could tell that her heart belonged to Vincent only.  It was plain as day.  Yuffie deserved to be happy, and it broke Tifa's heart to see her like this.

Vincent.  He was still as mysterious as ever.  Out of them all, he was the only one that hadn't changed a bit.  Tifa hated Vincent's self imposed punishment.  He deserved to be happy too.  He deserved so much more than the hell he put himself in.  Why couldn't he see?  Why couldn't he accept himself, like all of them already had.  Tifa knew that Vincent loved Yuffie.  Even though he could put up a good mask, whenever he would see her, a spark of love would flood his eyes, then disappear.  Damn it.  Why?  It was so unfair.  They didn't deserve this.  Damn. 

Tifa was shaken from her thoughts when Yuffie moved herself out of Tifa's embrace.  Tifa sighed inwardly at the haunted look in Yuffie's eyes.  Yuffie was breathing fine now; whatever happened to her didn't seem to leave any lasting effects. 

 "Are you okay, Yuffie?"

"Yeah….I'm fine Tifa.  How's Vinnie?"

"I don't know.  The doctors are still looking him over.  They only let Cloud in and he hasn't come out yet."

Yuffie didn't respond but stared vacantly into the distance.  The dream was so real.  Why?  Why did it hurt like that?  Dreams weren't supposed to hurt like that.  _Vincent.  Yuffie didn't know what to do.  She loved him like crazy, but she couldn't do anything about it.  In truth, she was too scared to admit her feelings to him.  It hurt inside so much.  She felt like her world was ending, because everything she felt was for him only and he was dying.  Yuffie faintly heard the pitter patter of small feet.  The sound became louder and louder, accompanied by the shrill cries of an animal._

Breeze rounded the corner and ran head long into Yuffie.  Yuffie stared at the little fur ball in shock.

"…Breeze?..."

The small wolf snuggled against her in reply.  Yuffie ran a hand soothingly along the length of the cub.  Breeze's cries slowly waned, replaced with contentment.  Breeze looked up into Yuffie's eyes, searching for whatever it was that wolves search for.  He must have been satisfied because breeze suddenly started to lick Yuffie's face.  Yuffie laughed in spite of herself at the cub's antics.  Yuffie lifted breeze from her lap until they were eye level.

"Hey Breeze.  Are you worried about Vinnie?"  Breeze stared at her and then slowly nodded his snout.  Yuffie smiled again and place a quick kiss on his snout.

"Me too, Breeze…me too."

Tifa watched on in amusement as Yuffie and Breeze continued to "talk" to each other.  If she didn't know better, Tifa could swear that Breeze understood everything that Yuffie was saying.  Watching Yuffie and Breeze sent a wave of comfort running though her, and it felt great.  Tifa could sympathize with Yuffie.  She remembered when Cloud was lost to them.  It hurt so much.  When they finally found him, Tifa was so happy she didn't want to leave his side.  Tifa heard footsteps echoing down the corridor, coming towards them.  She looked up right when Cloud appeared from around the corner.  He had a strained look on his face.  His eyes were bloodshot, and there were bags under his eyes.  Cloud briefly glanced at Tifa and gave her a small smile, and then he turned his attention to Yuffie, who hadn't noticed his presence because of Breeze.

"Hey Yuffie."

Yuffie quickly turned her attention from Breeze to Cloud.  Her smile faded at the expression on Cloud's face.

"Is he alright?"  Yuffie asked with hopeful eyes.  Cloud face softened.  The look of hope and despair mingled together was not a pretty thing to see.  It pained his heart to see that look on someone he considered family.

"No, he's not."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Hello there!! I'm so sorry for not updating for a long long time.  College was getting really hard and I hardly had anytime to write.  _

_I hope I still have readers!!!  Again, I'm sorry for the huge delay in updating.  I'll try my best to update regularly in the future, till then…Bye Bye!!!!_

_Oh yeah…please review!!!!_


	9. Life

In the end, Hope is all you have – Gunslinger

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_Disclaimer- I do not own any part of Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters portrayed within. They are the sole property of Square Enix. _

_Well, except for my characters like Wutari, Zell, Lily and anymore I might make up!_

_And if I did own them, then I wouldn't be writing this would I?_

_–I like my disclaimer-_

_------------------------------------------------------_(^_^)---------------------------------

Life

"Is he alright?"  Yuffie asked with hopeful eyes.  Cloud face softened.  The look of hope and despair mingled together was not a pretty thing to see.  It pained his heart to see that look on someone he considered family.

"No, he's not."

Yuffie slowly got up and walked with stiff legs over to where Cloud was standing.  She grabbed him by the shoulders and looked imploringly into his eyes.

"What do you mean?"

Cloud's face was ashen.  The news he was about to tell weighed heavily on his heart.

"Vincent's in a coma.  He lost too much blood.  The injuries he obtained hit many vital areas in his body.  The doctors where able to heal most of them to stable condition, but the wound in his stomach area is severe.   The doctors did all they could for it, but it might not be enough."

"No…Vincent's a strong person…he should be up and about in no time…"

"Yuffie…Vincent does have a very strong body, but he taxed it to the limit in the fight with that…man."  Cloud's eyes flashed momentarily with anger.  "His transformation to Chaos wiped out all reserves of strength he might have had left."

Yuffie was in tears, and she was near panic.  He couldn't die.  He was Vincent Valentine!  He was strong!  His very presence screamed power!  He couldn't die!  The word wasn't in his vocabulary. 

"Can…can I see him?"  Yuffie asked?  Cloud slowly nodded his head.  Yuffie backed away from him and ran headlong towards Vincent's room.  

Cloud turned his bloodshot eyes to his wife, and she silently crossed the room and embraced him.  Cloud always felt calmer in her embrace.  She had the ability to make all his negative thoughts fly away.  Cloud buried his face into her lovely hair and traced lazy circles on her back with his hands.  

Tifa loved to be in his arms.  Her husband always made her feel safe and loved.  She had no doubt that he'd protect her and the children with his life and that was one of the reasons she loved him so much.  She ran a hand though his spikey hair, lightly touching the silky strands.  Tifa knew that Cloud was angry at himself.  She could tell by the way his body was stiff and how his back slightly drooped.  She lightly kissed his neck, silently telling him that it wasn't his fault.  

"It's all my fault."  Cloud said, burying his face farther into her hair.

"No, it's not, Cloud.  Nobody knew what was going to happen." 

"But…"

"But nothing.   No one knew.   Stop blaming yourself, Cloud."

"Tifa…"

"I mean it, Cloud.  You know it's not your fault."

"Still, I should've been able to break through that Stop spell.  That guy got everyone of us.  How could he have done that?  I've never seen or heard of a person who was able to manipulate magic like that."

"I don't know Cloud.  When his spell hit me, it felt like something was wrapped around my body, holding me in place.  His spell was different than a regular Stop spell.  The regular one just makes your body stiff, but this one…I can't explain."

"I swear, we'll find that guy again and make him pay."  Cloud said, gritting his teeth.  

"Cloud, what are we going to do in the meantime?"

"I don't know, yet."

Cloud pulled away from Tifa's embrace and quickly kissed her on the lips.

"I'm going to go find Cid, Barret, and Nanaki."

"Okay.  I'm gonna go check on the children.  They were so scared through out the whole thing, though Zell will never admit it, just like his father." Tifa smiled.  "I'll see you in a little while."  Tifa said.  She silently kissed him again and then walked away down the hall.  

Cloud turned and walked in the opposite direction.  He turned a corner and saw Shera coming out of her room.  He called her name and walked up to her.

"Hey Shera.  Do you know where Cid is?"

"He's outside, looking at the damage the fight caused to the mansion.  Barret and Nanaki are there too."

"Okay.  Thanks."  

"Hey Cloud; Vincent's going to be okay, right?"

"I hope so Shera.  How's Brin doing?"

"He's not crying anymore.  Cid talked to him and it seemed to calm him down.  I've just put him to sleep.  What about your children?"

"I haven't seen them since the fight, but Tifa said they're holding up pretty good."

"Our children shouldn't have had to witness what happened."

"I know.  I wish they didn't have to see it too.  It's not fair to them.  I just hope they'll be alright."

"They will be."

Shera smiled and gave him a quick hug before she walked away.

Cloud walked out of the mansion and found them exactly where Shera said they would be.  He walked up and joined his friends.  They were silently looking at the huge crater in the wall.  Fallen stone and brick littered the ground and dust was everywhere.  The courtyard was in ruins.  The stone ground was cracked and broken all around them.  Yuffie's All Creation created a large trench that lead to the crater in the wall.  Near the center of the courtyard the ground was blown apart, making a gaping hole.  Scorch marks blackened the stone all around and pieces of ice were still embedded in the stone.  

"How's the vampire?"  Cid asked, not looking at Cloud.

"Not good."  Cloud replied.  Cid grunted in response. He puffed on his cigarette as he thought.

"Will he survive the night?"  Nanaki asked, his good eye fixed on Cloud. 

"That all depends on Vincent.  He's in a coma.  The doctors say it's all up to him whether or not he survives."

"Then he gonna live.  Never known him ta just quit wiffout a fight."  Barret muttered.  "He better live."

"Yes he must, for his sake and ours, especially Yuffie's." Nanaki whispered.

"She loves him, doesn't she?"  Cloud asked Nanaki.  Nanaki was slow to answer.

"She does.  Yuffie feels very strongly for him.  I think the feelings are mutual."

"No way!  You've gotta be @#$%'n me!"  Cid said, shocked.

"I am not.  Vincent looks at her the way you look at Shera."

"Well I'll be damned.  He better live now, couldn't bare to see the ninja girl hurt."

"She has grown on us, hasn't she?"  Nanaki chuckled.

"Yeah.  They both have."  Cloud said.

"Damn tha bastard tha did this to um!"  Barret said.  "What tha hell we supposed to do?"

"I think we find the @$&# that did this to Vince and kick his ass!  I can't believe the nerve of the prick!  Just walking up to us and picking a fight.  My boy was scared off his rocker.  I swear that asshole's gonna pay for doing that to Brin."

"I agree."  Nanaki said. "He must not get away."

"Tha scum's not gonna get away wid this.  Marlene almost had heart attack!" Barret yelled, looking furious.  They all looked at Cloud, waiting for what he ahd to say on the matter.  Cloud looked at them all in turn before speaking.

"First, we have to make sure that Vincent's going to be alright.  Then, we'll see what we can do about the person who did this."

"I can't wait for that!"  Cid said, eyes blazing.  "Are you telling me that we're gonna let that @#%& get away with this?  He already has a full day ahead of us though the woods!"

"Surprisingly, I agree with Cid.  Tracking the man responsible for this will be very hard if we wait for Vincent to recover."

"I know, but I don't want to leave Vincent alone right now.  Whoever did this might come back."  

"We'll split up then." Cid said.  Cloud was about to protest when Cid waved him off.  "Me, Red, and Barret will follow their trail.  You and Tifa stay here with Yuffie and Vince.  Shera and the Highwind will be here to help out too."

Cloud thought about it, he didn't really like the idea of splitting up, but time wasn't on their side.

"Alright.  You guys go, but leave in the morning.  They may be far, but their also injured.  Even with magic it'll take them awhile to get away completely."

Cid nodded his head and puffed his cigarette.  Cloud frowned and stared into the distance.

"What is wrong?" Nanaki asked.

"Don't you think it was odd that that guy Kyosuke or whatever his name was, only wanted to fight Vincent?"

"I do find it curious." Nanaki said, thinking about it.

"I guess so." Barret said, scratching his head.

"Yeah."

"There's something else going on here.  I think someone sent that man here on purpose."  Cloud said.

"You mean, like them assassin people?"  Barret said.

"Something like that.  I don't know for sure though, but I have a feeling there's something or someone behind all of this.  I just don't understand why, it doesn't make sense."

"Yes.  I think you're right Cloud."  Nanaki said, raising his eye toward the heavens.  "I think everyone here will agree with me that no one would confront Vincent like that without a purpose.  Vincent is not a man to be taken lightly, and it seemed to me that Vincent did not know that man."

They all stood in companionable silence.  Each thinking about what Nanaki had said.  Cid was the first to speak up.

" Damn it all, I need a beer."  Cid said, kicking some debris in frustration.  "You coming, Barret?"

"Yeah."  Barret said.  Cid and Barret walked off.  Cloud watched them go, thinking at the same time about what Nanaki said.  Cid turned back.

"Hey Cloud!  Tell Shera not to wait up!"  Cid yelled.  Cloud nodded.  Cloud watched them go until the shadows hid them from view.

"Times are not as peaceful as we once thought."  Nanaki said.

"Too right Nanaki, too right."  Cloud sighed.  "I'm gonna head back in and PHS Reeve, you coming?"

"No, I will patrol the grounds, and make sure nothing of this caliber happens again."  Nanaki said with a growl, as he trotted away in the opposite direction from Cid and Barret.

Cloud surveyed the damage once more before he went back into the mansion.  Times were becoming hard again, and he wondered what would happen in the near future.

~~~~~   

Yuffie slowly opened the door and let herself in.  In the bed at the far corner, Vincent lay on his back.  There was no blanket covering his battered body.  His body was covered in bandages.  The room was sparsely decorated.  Only his bed and a desk piled high with medical supplies occupied the room.  Large windows covered the walls.  Sunlight helped people get better, she knew, and it helped them not to feel enclosed if they were bedridden. Yuffie made her way to his bedside and lightly took his right hand into hers.  She placed a soft kiss on his hand and lightly caressed it with her cheek.

"Please be alright, Vinnie.  Please."  She whispered.  Vincent replied with his ragged breathing.  He looked paler than he usually was.  His dark, velvet hair was covering the upper part of his face, and Yuffie pushed it back.  A large bruise ran from his lower jaw up the right side of the face.  It was black and blue and looked terrible.  Her breathing became erratic and tears were forming in her eyes but she pushed them back.  She needed to be strong.  She needed to be strong for Vincent.  

"Vincent.  I'm sorry for hurting you.  I'm sorry for blasting you away like that.  Please don't die cause of me.  You're strong Vincent.  You'll pull through this, you always pull through.  Do you remember our travels together with everyone?  You were always the last to fall; you were always the one…the one that looked after me.  You always made sure the monsters were dead; you gave strength to the rest of us when we thought it was over.  When we lost Cloud, you were the one that led the team.  You were the one that helped us though the bad times.  You never showed defeat."

"I remember when you, me, and Aeris were out looking for wood.  The monsters came and surrounded us, ten to one.  Me and Aeris fell, too hurt to do anything, and you protected us until the rest of the team came to help."

Yuffie kissed his hand again and straightened up.  She found a seat and slid it towards his bed and sat down.  She took his hand in hers again and whispered to him.

"It's my turn now Vinnie.  It's my turn now to help you, to keep you safe.  I'm gonna be right here, Vinnie.  I'll take care of you, so you just sleep and heal.  I'm gonna stay with you until you're better."

Yuffie sat there and gazed at him.  Even though he was covered in bandages, he was beautiful.  His muscles gleamed in the soft candlelight.  He looked peaceful, laying there.  Yuffie looked closer at his body.  Faint scars ran in lines all over his body where the bandages didn't cover him, and they criss-crossed each other, making patterns in Vincent's flesh.  Yuffie thought back to the times of their journey against Sephiroth.  She remembered learning that Hojo had imprisoned him and experimented on him.  Anger flashed across her eyes.  The scars must have been from Hojo's experiments.  Damn him.  Hojo hurt so many people.  Hojo hurt Vincent.  Hojo was the reason Vincent had demons.  Hojo destroyed who he was and made Vincent hate himself.  He must have endured so much hurt, so much pain, but through it all, deep down Vincent was a fighter.  Vincent was a good person.  He was a person who fought through all his trials and survived.  He would fight through this one as well.  

Yuffie ran her free hand over Vincent's hand, touching his smooth, pale skin.  Vincent's hand barely twitched, but she felt it.  Hope flared anew in her heart. Yuffie knew at that moment that no other man would take his place in her heart.  He was the one she needed.  He was the one she loved.    

"Please, Leviathan.  Help him through this."

~~~~~

Nanaki prowled the grounds, sniffing and listening to his surroundings.  He was at the edge of the mansion grounds, following Kyosuke's scent.  Nanaki stopped at the edge of the woods, where Kyosuke and that woman ran hours ago.  

Life never wanted to be simple.  Where was the peace that he and his friends earned?  They fought for the fate of the planet, and almost didn't come out alive.  Everyone else on the planet now had a measure of peace, a peace that he too shared.  Until now.  Nanaki sniffed the breeze.  His scent was long gone, but his tracks were still fresh.  Nanaki calculated that the pair was miles away from Wutai now.  The wolf creature had run into the woods at a breakneck speed, the woman holding on for dear life.  Times had not changed, it seemed.  There was still evil and malice abundant in the world, even with the fall of Sephiroth.  

Nanaki listened to the calls of the night birds.  They sang a strange, haunting song that confirmed his fears.  Evil was rising again, and he knew that Avalanche would be in the middle of this crisis as well.  Nanaki vowed to himself that he'd do everything in his power to stop this new threat.  

_"I don't know for sure though, but I have a feeling there's something or someone behind all of this.  I just don't understand why."_

Clouds words ran though his mind.  What was going to happen?  Would they survive though this?  Would his new family survive through this?  Nanaki longed to go back to the canyon, to be there when his pups would be born.  He had always wanted to be a father, and now he had the chance.  

Nanaki remembered when Hojo told him that he was the last of his kind.  A pain filled his heart at the scientist's words.  He thought that he would forever be alone.  

After the journey with Avalanche, Nanaki saw himself running through moonlit plains, alone.  Was it his destiny to be the last?  He thought.  He would be alone in the world, with no one to call his own.  

When the day he saved Natsuya came, Nanaki's hope was rekindled.  She was a beautiful beast.  Her coat was covered with blazing orange fur.  Her eyes gleamed with wisdom and courage.  She was everything he wanted, and to find out that she wanted him as well was the happiest moment in his life.  He had found his companion, and he'd be damned if he let anyone harm her.  

Nanaki turned away from the woods and walked back to the mansion.  He sniffed the air and smiled.  Vincent's little friend was coming towards him.  Breeze ran to the larger beast and stopped a few feet in front of him.  The small pup cocked his head to one side the stared at the larger animal.

"Hello breeze."

"…Bark!..."  Breeze said, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Would you like to accompany me on my patrols?"  Nanaki asked the fur ball.  The small cub wagged his tail.  Nanaki chuckled and started walking again, Breeze right beside him.

~~~~~

_Hello!  I just wanted to say thanks for taking the time and reading my fic!  _

_Please, if you could…press the little review button and tell me what you think!_

_Till next time!_


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